TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has awarded Arriva subsidiary Arriva Rail London (ARL) a two-year extension of its London Overground concession, covering the operation of inner-suburban services from Liverpool Street and Euston, the North and West London lines, the Gospel Oak - Barking Riverside route and services from Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon.
Arriva has operated the London Overground network since November 2016 under a concession model whereby TfL takes on the revenue risk, while ARL receives a fixed payment with adjustments made according to performance.
Passenger traffic on London Overground has recovered to 88% of pre-pandemic levels, with 430,000 passengers now using the service daily. During the term of ARL’s contract, the operator has also implemented a number of service improvements for TfL, such as the extension of the Gospel Oak - Barking route to Barking Riverside and the introduction of four-car trains, which doubled the line’s capacity.
The new contract comes into effect in May 2024 and will run until May 3 2026, with a break option in May 2025 to be exercised by August 31 2023.
“I am very proud of everything we have achieved at London Overground but that would not be possible without close collaboration with Arriva Rail London,” says TfL’s general manager for London Overground, Mr Rory O’Neill. “There has been a great deal of change, not only at London Overground but in the rail industry, since the pandemic but ARL, supported by TfL, has risen to the challenge as we adapt to changing customer travelling habits. We continue to welcome growing numbers of customers back and with the help of ARL will build on that success.”
