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Japan is famous for its speedy and efficient train services, so could it be good news that the Elizabeth line is getting a new operator hailing from the Land of the Rising Sun?
GTS Rail Operations Limited, a joint venture between Go Ahead Group, Tokyo Metro and Sumitomo Corporation, has been awarded new contracts to run the Lizzie line in London for the next seven years, with the possibility to extend for another two. GTS will take over the line from May 2025.
Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer, said: ‘The Elizabeth line has had a transformational impact since opening in 2022 and has quickly become one of the most popular and reliable railways in the country. The railway has provided new, more direct journey options which has led to huge numbers of customers using our safe and accessible trains and stations.
‘I am delighted that we have appointed GTS Rail Operations to continue to build on the success of the Elizabeth line and I look forward to working with them.’
Miguel Parras, chief executive of the Go-Ahead Group, said: ‘We’re proud to have been chosen to be TfL’s partner, together with Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Metro, for the operation of the iconic Elizabeth line. We look forward to bringing our collective expertise across UK and international rail operations to London. Our objectives are aligned with TfL – to connect communities across London through safe, reliable, and sustainable public transport services, delivered to the highest level of customer satisfaction.’
However, the RMT union has criticised TfL for awarding the new contract to a private operator, calling the decision ‘deeply concerning’.
In a statement, the union said: ‘Continuing down the privatisation path risks further short-changing passengers and undermining the financial sustainability of the capital’s transport system.’
The RMT has been campaigning for TfL to be in public ownership for some time, and in October wrote an open letter to the Mayor urging him not to appoint private operators when the contracts for the Lizzie and Overground lines were up. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said it was ‘deeply concerning’ that while other parts of the UK’s rail network were being brought back into public ownership, the Elizabeth line was left to ‘funnel profits to private operators’.
What do you think this means for the future of London’s transport?
Could the Elizabeth line soon be extended all the way to Kent?
What the 2024 Budget means for the future of London’s transport, including new trains for the Bakerloo, Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines.
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