Khan says he hopes to gain control of North London rail route 'sooner rather than later'

Devolution of the Hertford Loop Line is seen as crucial if the government wants to press ahead with a 21,000-home ‘new town’ at Crews Hill, reports James Cracknell

A Great Northern train at Winchmore Hill Station with (inset left) Sadiq Khan and (inset right) Joanne McCartney

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has said he is “keeping everything crossed” that the devolution of a key North London rail route “will happen sooner rather than later”.

City Hall and Transport for London (TfL) have for several years been lobbying the government’s Department for Transport (DfT) over transferring the Hertford Loop rail route into their control.

Currently, all rail services running north out of Moorgate Station towards Haringey, Enfield, Barnet and Hertfordshire are operated by Great Northern, but reduced timetables since the Covid-19 pandemic have led to calls for TfL to run them as new London Overground routes instead – as part of a pledge to restore four trains per hour on the Hertford Loop during off-peak periods.

While the previous Conservative government never expressed much interest in the idea, a potential devolution deal has been under discussion between Khan and the Labour government for several months.

TfL recently submitted its business case to DfT, while a supportive statement was also issued this month by 10 Downing Street as part of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s drive to “back the builders not the blockers”.

Restoring four trains per hour on the Hertford Loop is seen as a crucial step to enabling construction of the government’s proposed ‘new town’ of 21,000 homes – which is set to be centred around Crews Hill Station in Enfield.

Asked for an update on the move at Mayor’s Question Time last Thursday (11^th), Khan said: “The good news is we have had incredibly collegiate meetings with DfT and the minister Lord Hendy last week, so I am keeping everything crossed that, in due course, it will happen sooner rather than later.”

Khan was being quizzed on the situation by the London Assembly member for Enfield and Haringey, Joanne McCartney, who has long backed the idea of TfL running the Hertford Loop Line.

Last month, Govia Thameslink Railway – which controls Great Northern – became the latest rail operator to be nationalised and subsumed within the government-owned Great British Railways (GBR).

Great Northern also runs services between Moorgate and Hertfordshire via local stations in Haringey and Barnet on the East Coast Main Line, which could also form part of a rail devolution package.

Khan made it clear, however, that TfL’s chief goal is “added value” rather than “taking over stuff just for the sake of taking over stuff, with nicer branding”.

He continued: “If GBR can be as good as, if not better than, TfL, I am relaxed about someone else providing it. I just want it delivered. In this case I think we can provide a better service, and our experience with the London Overground is that we can.

“We have been quite ‘laser like’ in terms of what we are asking for, but also cognisant of the business case needs to be shown in terms of the money we invest, the money we get from DfT, leading to an enhanced service with more customers bringing in more money. It has got to wash its face which is very important.”

Commenting afterwards, in response to the comments, McCartney said: “For too long, passengers in Enfield and North London have been stuck with inadequate rail services. For years I have been saying that devolving these Great Northern services to Transport for London would be a practical, proven way to improve reliability and better integrate these routes into London’s wider transport network.

“TfL’s own analysis shows that services on the Hertford Loop could be significantly enhanced, with the potential for up to six trains per hour, helping to unlock much-needed new homes in our borough. Under TfL’s price structure, the services would also become cheaper, providing much-needed relief during the cost of living.

“With Great Northern now in public ownership, there is a clear opportunity to take this forward.”

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