Sky News

Andy Byford, who took the helm at TfL in June 2020, is to step down later this year after steering it through the worst crisis in its history, Sky News ...

Mr Lord joined TfL in 2019 and is responsible for overall management of the London Underground network. It was unclear on Wednesday evening whether Mr Byford, who is said by colleagues to have been an inspirational leader during the challenges of the past two years, intended to remain in the UK or whether he had another job offer lined up. Caught in the crossfire between Grant Shapps, the then transport secretary, and Mr Khan, the TfL chief was forced to manage the bus and Tube networks on short-term government handouts which sometimes lasted only a matter of days. In total, TfL has been handed £6bn to keep it afloat since the outbreak of COVID in the spring of 2020. Mr Byford's most important short-term achievement, however, was the delivery of a long-term funding deal for TfL after two years in which its balance sheet was ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Andy Byford, the Transport for London (TfL) chief who helped steer the capital's bus and Tube networks through the most financially precarious periods in their history, has resigned weeks after securing a new long-term funding deal.