TfL: ‘Outrageous’ rise in six-figure salaries at London Tube, overground, bus and roads authority

More than 750 working for Transport for London (TfL) and Crossrail now earn six-figure sums, the latest figures reveal.

In total, 766 TfL and Crossrail employees earned more than £100,000 in 2022/23. This is a 28% rise on the 597 in 2021/22.

City Hall Conservatives dubbed the increase “outrageous”, saying “huge pay packets” were being awarded while Mayor Sadiq Khan “begs for bailouts” from the Government.

TfL said the pay awarded to TfL’s Commissioner and chief officers is “significantly below the market level” and that it is “vital to attract and retain the best talent” in an increasingly competitive jobs environment.

The top earner was Jim Crawford, Crossrail’s former chief programme officer, who earned just shy of half a million pounds - but that included £191,088 as a pay off when he left the role in January.

A number of employees saw inflationary pay rises push them over the £100,000 mark.

Nick Rogers, City Hall Conservatives transport spokesperson, said: “It is outrageous that so many TfL staff are on six figure salaries, which are being funded in part through Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) tax raid on charities, small businesses and low income families.

“While the mayor pleads poverty and begs for bailouts, he is giving out huge pay packets and gold-plated pensions to his senior TfL staff. It is simply unacceptable and Londoners deserve so much better than this.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan

A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: “During a cost-of-living crisis, the mayor stood by his commitment to deliver a fair pay rise for TfL staff. In a highly competitive market, TfL should be able to attract and retain the very best talent, including the technical skills and experience to undertake hugely complex projects, which are essential to continuing to deliver a world-class transport network for Londoners and supporting jobs and economic growth in London and the whole country.

“The ULEZ is not designed to be a money making scheme and within a few years, as compliance increases, it will make a net loss – any net proceeds are ringfenced and reinvested into London’s transport network.”

No bonuses were paid out at TfL this year, in line with the conditions set out by the government as part of its funding deal. Any bonuses assigned to employees will not be paid until the organisation has reached “financial sustainability” – which it hopes to achieve during the current financial year.

Transport for London

A TfL spokesperson said: “TfL is a complex organisation that is central to the success of London and the UK – supporting many millions of journeys each day and engineering and building major projects like the Elizabeth line, the extension of the Northern line to Battersea, the expansion and modernisation of Bank station and the extension of London Overground to Barking Riverside.

“Through the hard work of our staff, three years of freezing pay levels for senior managers and reducing the number of executive posts, we are now expecting to achieve an operating surplus in 2023/24, meaning our revenues now cover the costs of running the existing transport network.”

Crossrail boss

Crossrail’s Jim Crawford earned £499,447 in total and the TfL spokesperson said: “Jim Crawford took over responsibility for Crossrail Ltd following the departure of Mark Wild, and was also heavily involved with ensuring that the Elizabeth line successfully launched in May 2022. He left TfL on January 31, 2023 and his compensation for loss of employment reflected his length of employment within Crossrail.”

TfL’s interim commissioner, Andy Lord, earned £363,680. The commissioner’s base salary of £355,000 remains the same as last year.