Sky News can reveal Mr Byford’s departure as TfL commissioner will be announced on Thursday morning. His departure after nearly two and a half years in the job will leave London Mayor Sadiq Khan searching for a successor who can build on the outgoing leader’s legacy. An industry source said on Wednesday night that Mr Byford had informed the mayor of his intention to resign several months ago. He is expected to leave before the end of the year. His tenure as TfL commissioner saw him deliver the Elizabeth Line project – better known as Crossrail – after years of financial and operational problems. The 73-mile line now carries hundreds of thousands of passengers every day. Mr Byford’s most significant short-term achievement, however, was delivering a long-term funding deal for TfL after two years in which its balance sheet was decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Caught in the crossfire between Grant Shapps, the then transport secretary, and Mr Khan, the TfL chief was forced to manage bus and tube networks on short-term government handouts that sometimes lasted just a few days. The agency narrowly avoided having to file formal bankruptcy notices in many cases, such was the intense nature of the negotiations. Its latest deal, completed at the end of last month, runs until March 2024. In total, TfL has been handed £6 billion to keep it afloat since the COVID outbreak in spring 2020. On Wednesday, Mr Khan said he would provide an extra £500m of funding to TfL, prompting proposals for council tax rises for Londoners hit by inflation. The London mayor had also warned of major cuts to services ahead of the latest deal, saying last month that a “significant funding gap” remained and would likely mean fare rises. Pension reform remains a contentious issue at TfL at a time when much of Britain’s public transport network is affected by industrial action. It was not clear on Wednesday afternoon whether Mr Byford, said by colleagues to have been an inspirational leader during the challenges of the past two years, intended to stay in the UK or if another job offer had been lined up. Industry analysts have pointed to Andy Lord, TfL’s chief operating officer, as a logical internal candidate to take the helm. Mr Lord joined TfL in 2019 and is responsible for the overall management of the London Underground network. Mr Khan, who chairs TfL, is however expected to conduct a comprehensive external inquiry into a new Commissioner. Appointed in May 2020, just weeks after London went into its first coronavirus lockdown, Mr Byford arrived with an impressive track record as the former chairman and chief executive of the New York Transit Authority, where he was credited with modernizing a troubled public transport system. . . He also ran the corresponding network in Toronto, Canada, while also having roles in New South Wales, Australia and a number of UK rail companies. Mr Byford began his career as a graduate trainee on the London Underground in 1989, eventually becoming general manager for customer services on the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines. Other key operational moments during his tenure included this year’s Platinum Jubilee and the period of mourning following the death of Her Majesty the Queen, when London saw crowds of visitors wanting to pay their respects. TfL is also responsible for licensing private hire companies, including Uber Technologies, with which it has fought several legal battles over its refusal to award the ride-hailing app a long-term deal. TfL declined to comment on Wednesday afternoon.
