People care about the quality of service which greatly improved after TfL took over control of the metro services formerly operated by Silverlink.
Likely not as The Overground is operated by Arriva and will be until at least 2026, whereas South Eastern has been operated by DfT owned Southeastern since 2021.
The problem is, there are still many users who purposely avoid the Hertford Loop and the Welwyn Garden City services mainly on grounds the service isn't integrated and of course charges a more premium fare. Unless action is being made within integration as well for fare pricing, I can't see a DfT operation making any difference.
Of course people avoid a service which only has 2 tph and charges a premium fare (the difference between TfL scale and NR scale for non Zone 1 journeys is more than 50%). If it is taken by TfL, it will run it at 4 tph and charge TfL fares so it will be as popular as other similar Overground lines like the Lea Valley Line.
You are however being very naive if you think that getting TfL to run the service is the way to get lower fares. Where is the money for the resulting funding shortfall going to come from?
If I'm being fair over here, most of the Overground services have recovered far stronger than their National Rail counterparts mainly on how well integrated it is with network planning and fare structure. It's not sustainable if users avoid the line since it is expensive and would instead opt for alternatives as with the case of the inner Great Northern services. Not also about funding, but if it delivers wide economic and user benefits from every pound placed which I don't see happening on the lines which are a formal shadow of itself from the off-peak cuts to 2tph.
Sliverlink's poor service was mostly a continuation of BR's poor service in North London, there is no reason to be so sure that GBR operating south London metro services will lead to the same level of improvement as what Overground takeover led to. Given that GBR taking over the franchises will lead to them being rebranded, and the management and staffing processes across the railway being overhauled, and it being possible that the franchises will be reorganised, I don't see the costs and logistics of transferring the control of a few services to TfL would that big of a concern comparatively.
It will be a similar situation for the GBR transition, GBR transition process is a lot more than just sticking new vinyls on the trains and stations. It needs to be worked out how the staff pool will be shared across GBR, what parts of GBR will manage which facilities and many other factors, a job that was likely made harder for the GBR transition team by Labour making major changes to the GBR plans.
Great Northern is operated as part of the TSGN but it can easily be split from the franchise if the DfT only wanted Thameslink to be transferred to TfL but is unlikely as no one of note in TfL or DfT wants that likewise none of them want to split up the Great Northern route.
Control of the TSGN is unlikely to be transferred to TfL before the GTR contract expires. Actually improving service is a lot more than just improving the service frequency. TfL being the awarding authority allows them a higher level of control over the specifications of the contract and allows them to directly apply its 17 years of expertise in controlling a world-class suburban rail network and 24 years of operating the London transport network to improving the services.
Thameslink and Great Northern share drivers and trains, as Great Northern drivers also drive Thameslink services and 700s operate GN services up to Kings Lynn for instance.
The suburban services of Great Northern do not share trains with the mainline services of Great Northern. They are basically a separate operation.
These underground stations are already run by London Underground, so TfL is already investing in them.
A service which runs every 15 minutes in the inner core, and every 30 minutes in the outer stretches, is not as good as London Overground. The only routes where London Overground is operating at a 30-minute frequency is in Zone 5 or beyond.
[Chesham, Amersham, Chalfont & Latimer, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Watford, Croxley, Watford Junction, Watford High Street, Bushey, Carpenders Park, Cheshunt, Theobalds Grove, Epping, Theydon Bois, Debden, Loughton, Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell, Brentwood, Shenfield, Iver, Langley, Slough, Burnham, Taplow, Maidenhead, Twyford and Reading have entered the chat]
Depots are a non-issue as there should be nothing stopping different operators from continuing to share depots when GBR takes over. The first two issues would be a problem if they split off the whole Great Northern route as it exists now to be a standalone operating unit but I see that as one of the least likely things to happen, it is far more likely but still unlikely for just the Great Northern route to and from Moorgate to be split off to be handed over to TfL, or the Great Northern to be spilt off to be merged into the East Anglia franchise.
How will it be easier for TfL to work with another government body that often has different goals and intentions (Also one that by the time the GTR contract expires is likely to no longer have any direct involvement in most rail functions.) to get the enhancement it wants than to directly set and enforce the specifications of the operator's contract? Thameslink and Great Northern not needing a massive amount of improvement would mean that the cost of transferring it to TfL will be mostly admin and rebranding costs which would also be the case for it being transferred to GBR which will depend on how rebranding each of them would want to do.
They don’t share trains but GN metro and GN mainline drivers are intermingled and of course they also share their depot at Hornsey.
Greater Anglia, MTR Elizabeth Line and Arriva Rail London share the Ilford Depot.
There's also a Croydon Tram and WMT Turbo parked there right now. Is the depot owned by Alstom?
The people at the ends of the Metropolitan and Central lines in Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex certainly don't seem to be complaining.
Hertfordshire might disagree, given their promotion of the Croxley Rail Link which Khan cancelled.
That still doesn't address the fact that metro services extending just over the border isn't a reason to exclude the transfer of any further metro services from NR operators to TfL. Especially when the counties in question (Kent County, Dartford Borough, and Sevenoaks District) are in support of the plan, and the TfL board has at least two members specifically representing users of TfL services outside of Greater London.
You thought correct.
Ilford Depot is currently owned by Alstom.