The firm that runs the Tokyo Metro is to become the new operator of the Elizabeth Line, as one Berkshire MP called for a faster service to and from London.
Tokyo Metro Company (TMC) has promised to bring 'Japanese reliability and punctuality' to the rail line, which runs a service from London to stations across Berkshire, including Slough and Reading.
The consortium with the UK transport group Go-Ahead and the Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corporation beat three other bidders for the deal.
The group will now take over the running of the line, which opened in 2022, from May next year, with the contract due to last at least seven years.
TfL said the new operator would bring 'the best parts of Tokyo and London to the Elizabeth line'.
Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer said she was 'delighted' to appoint the contract.
She said: "The Elizabeth line has had a transformational impact since opening in 2022 and has quickly become one of the most popular and reliable railways in the country."
The performance of the Elizabeth Line has been celebrated by Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central, who held a debate into future transport infrastructure projects in Parliament.
Mr Rodda said: "To sum up the scale of what the country has achieved, £19 billion has been invested in this piece of railway, but it has already, in just two years, generated £42 billion of benefits to the economy.
"There are some 700,000 journeys a day."
Mr Rodda then relayed passenger calls for faster Elizabeth Line train services that stop less and more rail electrification on longer established routes.
Currently, 'non-stopping' services are run by the Great Western Railway (GWR), which runs direct trains between Reading and London Paddington.
These journeys typically take 25 minutes, with Elizabeth Line journeys between Reading and Paddington typically taking around 55 minutes.
Mr Rodda raised passenger calls for 'limited stop' services on the Elizabeth Line between Reading and the capital.
The Elizabeth Line has been run by MTR, which is three-quarters owned by the Hong Kong government and operates the transport network in the administrative region of China.
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