Media centre

Friday 4 Mar 2016

Network Rail and Great Western Railway sign alliance to deliver a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

| Southern

Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) have today, Friday 4 March, signed a formal alliance with the aim of delivering a better travelling experience for passengers by working more closely together.

The agreement, which was signed at Swindon station, covers five key areas of working and commits both companies to a more aligned approach to further improve performance and increase efficiencies. It also covers improved joint planning for major upgrade projects such as the electrification of the Great Western Main Line, to help minimise disruption for passengers as much as possible.

Mark Langman, Network Rail’s managing director for the Western route, said: “As part of our national £40bn Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers, the railway through the Thames Valley and south west is undergoing the biggest modernisation programme since the Victorian era, including electrification, a new signalling system, new tracks and upgraded stations.

“To deliver these extensive improvements and minimise disruption as much as possible, it’s essential we formalise a number of the good things we are already doing and set joint targets for improvement. 

“For many years we have been working as partners and this has been borne out in recent months by improvements to punctuality and in the delivery of major upgrade work. This formal agreement will now mean that we work more closely together to deliver the improvements we know passengers want to see.”

Mark Hopwood, GWR’s managing director, said: "Our railway is going through the biggest investment since Brunel, and between us it is our job to make sure customers see the full benefit of that work as quickly and efficiently as possible. This agreement formalises many arrangements that have been in place for some time, while also identifying new ways of working together to deliver value for passengers."

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan

The Railway Upgrade Plan is Network Rail’s £40bn spending plan for Britain’s railways for the five year period up to 31 March 2019. The plan is designed to provide more capacity, relieve crowding and respond to tremendous growth the railways have seen – a doubling of passengers in the past twenty years. The plan will deliver a bigger, better railway with more trains, longer trains, faster trains with more infrastructure, more reliable infrastructure and better facilities for passengers, especially at stations.