Mark G wrote:
Just been announced that the government is to give Ken authority
over all railways "within the GLA area".

It's not as clear cut as that. On page 89 of the White Paper, it says:

"Because of the complexity of London's transport system and the
long-term nature of agreements with train companies we propose to
proceed by a staged approach. In the short term:

- the Government will work with the Mayor on rationalising fares
(including Travelcard) and ticketing technology within the GLA boundary;

- the Government will actively explore options for giving an increased
role for the Mayor on discrete services within the GLA boundary;

- the Government will consult fully with a wide range of London and
South East stakeholders; and

- the Government will take enabling powers when Parliamentary time
allows that will allow it to introduce greater changes at a later date
if satisfied that they will bring the expected benefits."

The London section of the White Paper is at
http://www.dft.gov.uk/railways/white...er5/london.htm

One obstacle to giving the Mayor complete control over London commuter
services is that many of them run to/from places outside Greater London,
for good operational and demand-related reasons. Hence consultation will
take place with neighbouring local authorities first.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)