The former head of London Underground and Rail has been named as transport commissioner Peter Hendy’s successor.

Mike Brown, who since 2010 has been MD of London Underground and Rail at TfL, has been named in the role having held it in an interim capacity since Hendy left to join Network Rail as chairman in the summer.

Boris Johnson, who recently unveiled a plan to retrofit additional side panels into HGV cab doors, said of the appointment: “Under Mike’s leadership, we’ve seen record numbers of customers carried on our Tube, DLR and London Overground networks and Tube delays have fallen by well over 40% since 2010.

“He brings decades of service, experience and leadership to the role and is the right person to lead the next wave of modernisation and improvement at TfL, to ensure London continues to grow and prosper to the benefit of the whole country,” he said.

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Brown said that with TfL’s £4bn road modernisation plan underway his key priorities would be to “keep traffic flowing, the bus network reliable and keep all Londoners, business and road users informed so they can plan ahead and void disruption”.