LRTA Bill in autumn
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MOVES to take control of London Transport away from the Greater London Council will start in the autumn, writes our Parliamentary correspondent.
The Queen's Speech on Wednesday was expected to give the green light to the Conservatives' manifesto pledge to integrate bus, Underground, and commuter rail services in the capital.
Final details of the Bill are still being worked out and it is unlikely that it will be ready to have its second reading before the MPs start their summer recess at the end of next month.
The proposal is for a London Regional Transport Authority, overseeing the activities of LT's bus and rail businesses, National Bus Company, independent operators, and British Rail, to be established for an area around London.
Plans to inject private capital into NBC are still uncertain. No specific mention was to be made in the Queen's Speech, although further legislation will be needed for full-scale privatisation. The 1982 Transport Act does not provide enough powers for it to go ahead without new legal backing.
Whether it comes up in the first session of the new Parliament will depend on the priority attached to it by Transport Secretary Tom King and the Cabinet committee that decides the legislative programme.