Letter-Writing Against Tube Privatisation

Posted in Janine's blog on ,

I got this letter (below) published in the Hackney Gazette this week. It's self-explanatory. I look forward to any response from TfL/Livingstone to the challenge at the end.

Last week's Gazette reported Transport for London's launch of its 'London Overground' project, joining up the North and East London Lines to greatly improve rail services in Hackney and other parts of London.

It is a welcome and impressive project. So why does TfL want to spoil it by giving it away to private profiteers once the building work is done? Millions of pounds of public money will rightly go into constructing this project, then the running of trains will be handed to one of the private companies that is making such a mess of the private mainline railway.

London Overground can and should be run in the public sector. After all, the East London Line is currently part of the public London Underground, and the North London Line will have its franchise renewed soon so could easily be brought into the public sector as part of the new set-up. I challenge TfL or Ken Livingstone to give Gazette readers one good reason why London Overground should not be run by a public train operator, as I can give you loads of good reasons why it should.

Janine Booth

President

Hackney TUC

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