Showing posts with label Sadiq Khan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sadiq Khan. Show all posts

Monday, 26 June 2017

Khan sets his face against railfreight

This from Bruce Grove...

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has set out his plans for supporting railway investment in the regions.

His draft transport strategy calls for upgrades to routes outside London so that freight services can be diverted away from the capital, making space for extra passenger trains.


At this rate he’ll be lobbying for HS3 next!

Sadly no mention of rail’s role in delivering the construction materials he needs for all those new homes, offices and cycle lane he’s planning to build.

Crossrail 2 anyone?

Thursday, 30 September 2010

Sadiq says... at #Lab10

Eye salutes Shadow Transport Secretary Sadiq Khan!

His barnstorming speech today at the Labour Party conference had the Fact Compiler splitting his sides!

Take this for instance:

But talking shop with my family made sure that I never forgot the shambles of a transport system we inherited from the Tories in 1997.

That would be the shambles of a transport system that Labour promised to undo in its 1997 manifesto and then didn't?

The shambles that saw a unified railway industry disaggregated with a resulting explosion in cost most of which occurred during Labour's watch?

Or this for instance:

And in London, we saw what Labour leadership can mean – upgrades to the tube, electronic ticketing, bus services transformed, the congestion charge, and a deal for Crossrail, a scheme which will contribute billions to Britain's economy.

Who can forget the triumph of Gordon and Shriti's PPP? The splendid benefits of which Londoners continue to enjoy to this very day.

No doubt the meaning of Labour's leadership will be evident on London Underground for years to come.

Or what about this:

The value of investment in new trains.

So where, Sadi' baby, are those long promised 1,300 vehicles. We are still waiting... mostly in overcrowded carriages or on platforms due to short formed trains!

Or perhaps even this:

Passengers will not pay more for less.

So pray tell who was it that set the policy that said passengers should pay above inflationary increases to travel by train after years of RPI-1% under the evil Conservatives? That's right, your predecessor at the Department for Transport, Alastair Darling. And in return Passengers got less carriage space, less catering and train travel became a whole lot less pleasant.

No matter.

Sadiq signed off his oration with the following:

We'll win the next General Election if we show people a vision of a better fairer Britain that they can believe in.

Possibly, but don't expect that we'll believe any of those promises for one second! Once bitten, twice shy.

Friday, 7 May 2010

Election 2010 - Farewells

So farewell former Transport Ministers Chris Mole (Ipswich) and Paul Clark (Gillingham) who both lost their seats.

Minister of State Sadiq Khan was returned as the Member of Parliament for Tooting.

And the unelected peer and Secretary of State for Transport also retains his House of Lords seat... for life.

Monday, 22 March 2010

Sadiq says...

Via Twitter...

Just announced £235m investment for UK's 1st modern trolley bus scheme. Fantastic news for Leeds, especially on top of HS2

Pork barrels and trebles all round!

Monday, 15 March 2010

Sadiq says...

Nothing yet...

...to this story on Guido's blog:

Transport Minister Sadiq Khan is in hot water this afternoon after it has been revealed that he lied to the press and to the Parliamentary authorities.

Ooops!

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Will just one of these bent MPs do the honourable thing and resign?

Thursday, 11 March 2010

Sadiq says...

This from Transport Minister Sadiq Khan, via Twitter...

Big big announcment today on High Speed Rail. Lord Adonis to make in Lords at 1130 with me making statement in Commons at 1215. Big Day!

Who says Twitter isn't useful.

UPDATE:This from Lobby Fodder...

Thought you might like to know that there will also be an un-press conference with Lord Adonis between 14:00 and 15:00 this afternoon.

But as it will be "off the record" and "off camera" it won't officially be happening.

And now that you know I'm afraid I'll have to kill you.

UPDATE: This just in from the DfT Press Office...

To confirm our press conference today is on-the-record but off-camera.

UPDATE: This from our man at 222 Marylebone Road...

According to the Thin Control-freak writing in The Thunderer today:

"Three of the pioneers of high- speed rail are Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea."

Ah yes, who can forget the race between the Dutch and the Japanese to be first with a high speed line.


Those were the days when the railway world followed with fascination the ever increasing speeds achieved in test runs of the Bullet Train and 'Flying Clog'.

UPDATE: This from 10 Downing Street, via Twitter...

No10: Gordon Brown travelling to East Midlands this morning ahead of the government's HS2 announcement.

The 'tweet' was accompanied by this picture:


His staff may wish to ensure that there are no mobiles in the vicinity when they tell him he is on the wrong train...

UPDATE: This from the Commuter at about 12:12...

See there's a pic of Gordon Brown taking the train to the HS2 announcement on his Twitter feed.

Funny, because I live opposite the site and saw his cavalcade of about 6 highly polluting cars, accompanied by several police motorcycles, pull up a few hours ago.

So he certainly didn't arrive by train!

Friday, 20 November 2009

Sadiq says...

Via Twitter...

On 815, St Pancras- Nottingham. Cabinet is meeting there, 2pm. Using time before to continue my Bus tour (once off the train, smart alecs!)

At least Sadiq has a sense of humour.

Wednesday, 28 October 2009

Khan to suffer Pilgrimage of Grimace

It's good to see that egalitarian principles thrive and prosper in the Department for Transport.

Whilst the ermine clad Noble Lord luxuriated on the cushions during his Pilgrimage of Grice, it appears that his junior must slum it on the omnibus.

This via Twitter...

@transportgovuk: Suggestions invited for Sadiq Khan’s mystery traveller bus tour

Eye suggests that Sadiq sends his boss!

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Sadiq says...

Via twitter...

In office trying to complete Red Box while listening to Rosie W doing great job at Report Stage of Bill I would be doing but for reshuffle..

Eye hopes the Noble Lord will soon give his Transport Minister something to get his teeth into.

Thursday, 8 October 2009

East London line news

London Reconnections has photos of the first test train on the East London line/Railway.

Meanwhile Boris Watch unveils a nice spat between DafT and TfL on funding for the replacement South London Line service.

Great headline too: Sadiq Khan bitch-slaps Boris

Monday, 13 July 2009

DafT slips out electrification announcement

Telegrammed by Leo Pink
Clearly more and more Government decisions are being slipped out without a formal announcement.

Here is Transport Minister Sadiq Khan in a Debate on 1 July:

On the question whether we want to keep the service in Government hands through a holding company or a permanent holding company, or to tender for a new franchise, let us be clear: one reason why we are able to invest record sums in our railway service is the revenues that the franchises bring in and the premiums that they pay; one reason why we are able to do the work on High Speed 2, which will lead to a high-speed link from the south to the north, is the system that we have in place; and one reason why we are able to electrify lines as fast as we possibly can is the investment that we receive from that structure.

Must say I'm impressed by the ability of Network Rail to be already getting the wires up on the MML and GWML with no apparent service disruption and within the CP4 settlement.

Wednesday, 1 July 2009

House of Commons statement at 7pm

Via Twitter:

SadiqKhan Just been inside Chamber of Lords for statement by Lord Adonis on National Express . I think I am making my statement to commons around 7pm

Tune in, turn off, nationalise - or something like that.

Saturday, 20 June 2009

Hello. Hello. Hello.

This from the government's Digital Britain report published last Tuesday:

"mobile network operators... to provide and fund solutions to take the initiative to improve the broadband mobile access for mobile customers travelling by Tube."

Good news indeed for transport minister Sadiq Khan.

Who, the Telegraph reveals, has THREE mobile phones which we pay for.

Khan's conflict of interests?

Campaigning lawyer Louise Christian, of Christian Khan solicitors, is demanding a public enquiry into the Grayrigg accident.

Hopefully this will be dealt with in person by Secretary of State, Lord Andrew Adonis, and not left to the junior Transport Minister responsible for railways, Sadiq Khan.

That would be the same Sadiq Khan as in 'Christian Khan' - Louise's former business partner.

How ironic that the new transport minister built his previous business from suing the railways.

Sunday, 7 June 2009

Sadiq Khan MP gets transport

The Eye congratulates Sadiq Khan on his appointment as Minister of State for Transport.

A bowler tip to Behind the Water Tower for this link to the Wandsworth Guardian which profiles the MP for Tooting.

With Lord Adonis sitting in the unelected Upper House it has been decided that Mr Khan will also sit in cabinet and join the Privy Council.

The Rt Hon Sadiq Khan has some experience of transport as his father Amanullah, a trained engineer who came to Britain in the 1960's, worked on the buses as a driver.

A former chairman of Liberty he has first hand experience of the democratic deficit, having been bugged talking to a gaoled constituent by counter-terrorism officers.


He has also taken a keen interest in Tube Lines' work in his constituency.

Sadiq Khan's elevation to the Privy Council and cabinet was announced via the MP's twitter feed on Saturday.

The Rt Hon Sadiq Khan's blog can be found here, although he last posted on Wednesday.

Interesting times!

UPDATE: This just in from Nicholas Hill over at XBriefing...

Earlier this year Mr Khan sought to blame recent increases in rail and underground passenger fares on ‘the Tories’.

In his March constituency newsletter Totally Tooting he stated:

"In January…an annual train or tube season ticket to Central London went up by £180... In the current economic climate, politicians should be helping people to save money. Yet the Tories are doing the opposite. They don’t seem to care."


Thanks for this Nicholas. As Khan obviously 'does care' presumably we can look to a reversal of current government policy which is designed to see the passenger pick up a greater share of the railway tab?

No, thought not!