Watford politicians have criticised the London Mayor after his transport strategy made no mention of the Met Line extension.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, released details of his new transport strategy, which included the intention to build a new West London Orbital railway, connecting Barnet to Hounslow, and more detailed plans regarding the Elizabeth Line, which will run from Reading and Heathrow to Shenfield and Abbey Wood.

But there was no mention made to the Metropolitan line or its extension, which has been a priority for politicians in the area.

Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill said: "What’s clear from this is that the Mayor cannot see the obvious synergy that there is between Watford and London and the benefits that the Met Line extension would bring to the London economy.

"A huge number of people come from London to work in Watford and vice versa. This is an incredibly parochial attitude from someone in charge of such a global and outward looking city such as London.

"The delivery of the Metropolitan Line Extension is crucial to factor to our plans for economic growth in the town. It would bring jobs, investment and connect our town together."

She added that she and others are working to find a solution which can be supported by all those involved, which could be tram, light rail or guided bus.

She continued: "This scheme is too important for the town to fail."

The West London Orbital rail line, which will be built using an existing freight line will travel from Hendon and Cricklewood in the north to Hounslow in the southwest, via Kew, Acton and Brent Cross in just less than 40 minutes overall.

Richard Harrington MP joined with the Mayor of Watford in his criticism of the plan.

He said: "The Metropolitan Line extension would deliver clear benefits for residents of South West Herts and Londoners.

"I can’t see why the London Mayor wouldn’t giving his backing to it, particularly when the government will provide nearly £200 million, give him the development rights (worth up to £40million) and he will keep all the revenue from the ticket sales!

"I’m not giving up on this without a fight and so I’m encouraging residents to sign my petition demanding that the London Mayor delivers on his promises."

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The previous Mayor committed £49 million of London taxpayers’ money to this scheme without bothering to work out how much it would actually cost. He also agreed for TfL to take all the risk of additional costs, even though the extension is for the benefit of people living outside of London.

"Since then a detailed review has shown that TfL would need to more than double its funding commitment to complete this scheme.

"The Mayor and TfL have proposed several pragmatic solutions to this, but without a pragmatic approach from the government, the scheme cannot progress with such a huge financial risk to London taxpayers. The Mayor remains open to finding alternative schemes that may be more affordable."