Chipping Barnet MP launches petition to support TfL’s bid to extend London Overground to New Barnet and increase train frequency
After starting his parliamentary career with a petition to keep station ticket offices open at New Barnet and Oakleigh Park, a campaign to increase the frequency of train services has now been launched by the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson.
His new petition is seeking support for a proposal by Transport for London to extend the London Overground network to include the Great Northern lines from Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City and Hertford North.
If the takeover was approved and the lines became part of London Overground, TFL has plans to increase off-peak services from two to four trains an hour.
A total of 26 stations that would benefit from more trains include Brookmans Park, Potters Bar, Hadley Wood, New Barnet, Oakleigh Park and New Southgate.
Mr Tomlinson (above in 2023) was the prospective Labour candidate when he launched a constituency petition to boost support for a campaign against the closure of railway station ticket offices – a campaign which produced 750,000 objections across the country and forced a government climbdown.
He said the current frequency of trains to London from New Barnet and Oakleigh Park was “not good enough”.
If the line became part of London Overground, TfL hoped to offer a more frequent service which would benefit residents across the Chipping Barnet constituency.
The results of the petition – https://dantomlinson.org.uk/better-rail-barnet/
will be presented by Mr Tomlinson to the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State for Transport.
Mr Tomlinson, who was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in September last year, the issued a photograph of himself with the Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance, Barnet Councillors and local campaigners.
TfL announced last December that it had submitted a business case to the Department of Transport for London Overground to take over the Great Northern inner services from Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City and Hertford North.
These services are currently operated by Govia Thameslink Railways which is now under public ownership – opening the door to a possible government hand over of control to London Overground.
A TfL make over for the lines could cost £47 million – which would increase to £70 million if Crews Hill station was upgraded as part of the construction of the proposed Crews Hill new town.
Options for increasing the frequency of both lines include an estimate of £239 million to increase off-peak services from two to four an hour and £310 million for increases in peak services of up to eight per hour and off-peak up to six per hour.
Currently TfL is refining its business case for a London Overground take over and a more frequent service.
6 thoughts on “Chipping Barnet MP launches petition to support TfL’s bid to extend London Overground to New Barnet and increase train frequency”
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Agree that this is needed. At the same time need to have enough drivers at weekends (too many cancelled for driver shortage), and perhaps some which run non-stop between Alexandra Palace and Finsbury Park.
By implication if these train services transfer to London Overground and not GBR, then Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City and Moorgate to Hertford North and Stevenage will come under TfL. However, these train services go beyond the GLA into Hertfordshire.
Will a cross boundary issue therefore arise and what assurances will be given about service frequencies and stations served?
This sounds to me like the decision to destroy all the countryside and green belt land to create a new town in Crews Hill has already been made.
I wouldn’t trust TFL to operate yet more trains down these lines though. Just look at Barnet with how many bus routes they’ve created, where multiple unnecessary routes overlap and intersect with each over, going down narrow roads that were never intended to cope with buses.
I think this could be a good idea. The train frequency from New Barnet is way too low, so bringing it to the Overground could hopefully improve the train frequency and the quality of its service with proper TFL funding.
Govia Thameslink is a private company but from Sunday (31st May) Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern operation transfers to the public sector although the rolling stock remains in private ownership.
Transferring the operation to London Overground would re-privatise the line as London Overground is operated by a FirstGroup subsidiary on behalf of TfL.
Why does it need the line to be privatised to increase the frequency? The public pay for the frequency increase whether private or public.
Isn’t this already in the pipeline together with the West London Orbital?