Media centre

Tuesday 3 Apr 2007

GREAT WESTERN MAIN LINE TO BENEFIT AS £2.4 BILLION RAIL EXPANSION PROGRAMME UNVEILED

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Southern: Wessex

| Wales & Western

| Southern

A £2.4bn programme of rail expansion was unveiled by Network Rail today as it outlined its spending plans over the next two years. Along the Great Western Main Line, new platforms will be added, new tracks laid, line speeds raised and capacity added through a major resignalling scheme. Unveiling the plans, Network Rail's Chief Executive, John Armitt, said: "The railway is thriving. Demand for rail continues to grow and today's news outlines Network Rail's response to those demands. "Three million people use the railways each day, more than at any time in the past 60 years, and we're not standing still waiting for the big infrastructure projects to be delivered. We are doing something about it now by moving forward with hundreds of small schemes dotted around the country that will add capacity and ease crowding. "For the first time on record, over £1bn per year will be spent on expanding and growing the railway network. This, more than anything, shows how the needs of today's railway are shifting. We will never lose sight of the imperative to run a safe and reliable railway each and every day, but responding to the challenge of growth becomes a more important priority for the company." Over the next two years Network Rail is more than doubling the average annual investment on enhancement schemes - over £1.2bn per year. Not since well before privatisation (British Rail did not record enhancement spending) has so much money been invested in expanding the capacity of the rail network. Over the past 12 years, annual average spending on such schemes has been around £500m. Between April 2007 and March 2009, Network Rail will carry out £2.44bn worth of enhancement work across the UK with £1.73bn funded by Network Rail. The remaining £713m will be financed by other stakeholders, such as the Department for Transport, Welsh Assembly Government, local authorities, train operators and freight groups. Network Rail is working on over 900 individual schemes. Here are just some examples of the schemes that will be delivered or will get off the ground over the next two years along the Great Western Main Line: (in alphabetical order): Scheme description Total value Bristol Parkway - new platforms £10m Newport station regeneration £15m Reading - Paddington - line speed enhancements £3m South Wales - line speed enhancements £7m Swindon - line enhancements £4m Worle junction - Weston-Super-Mare upgrade £3m Network Rail continues to take forward the massive infrastructure and enhancement projects that have yet to receive full funding approval. The Thameslink upgrade programme remains a key priority with work also continuing on our redevelopment plans for Birmingham New Street and Reading. Mr Armitt concluded: "We are taking action now to expand the rail network and help relieve crowding on the network. But we want to do even more and will be outlining in the Autumn longer terms plans for even more growth and expansion on Britain's thriving railway."