Media centre

Sunday 1 Feb 2004

NETWORK RAIL BRINGS ‘1130’ MAINTENANCE WORKERS BACK ‘IN-HOUSE’

Region & Route:

Network Rail took direct control for the maintenance of the infrastructure in the ‘East Midlands area’ from Serco on Sunday 1st February. The move sees approximately 1130 employees moving back in-house and continues Network Rail’s strategy of unifying the operation and maintenance of the railway. The East Midlands area covers 950 route miles of railway, linking the major cities of Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leicester and Bedford with the South of England, whilst also serving as a major commuter route into the Capital from the outskirts of Chesterfield to London St. Pancras. Creating a single integrated rail maintenance operation will deliver three key benefits: · Consistent application of high standards of rail maintenance across the area. · Significant efficiency savings to be delivered from the annual maintenance budget. · Continued improvement in track-side safety standards. This move forms part of Network Rail’s key strategic decision to bring rail maintenance in-house, the most fundamental restructuring of Britain’s railway since British Rail was reorganised in 1994, two years before privatisation. The transfer is the culmination of six months of planning and preparation and ensures that maintenance is carried out by a permanent workforce of well trained individuals committed to a strong safety culture. - more - Maintenance - 2 Robbie Burns, Network Rail’s Regional Director for the Midlands said. “Rail maintenance is a central part of Network Rail’s operation. Unifying maintenance and the operation of the railway under one roof will bring many benefits and help to deliver a better railway for the passenger. “The management and staff of Serco have been very professional and without their help this major organisational change could not have happened as quickly, some 14 months early, or as smoothly as it has. “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues to Network Rail.” The new employees are an experienced and skilled workforce and include managerial and clerical staff, signalling technicians, track workers, overhead line technicians and fixed plant technicians. The ‘East Midlands’ area follows the Wessex contract area that was brought back in-house in November 2003 and the Thames Valley contract area in June 2003. A further three contract areas are scheduled for April and the remaining 11 will come back to Network Rail during the late spring and early summer. Notes for editors:

• The country’s rail network is split into 20 maintenance contract areas. These contracts are held between seven maintenance contractors; Amey, Carillion Rail, First Engineering, Balfour Beatty, Amec, Jarvis and Serco.
• On 24 October 2003, Network Rail announced that it had decided to take all rail maintenance back in-house.
• Train operators in this contract area include Midland Mainline, Central Trains, Virgin Cross Country and Thameslink and Freight Train Operators EWS, Freightliner and GB Railfreight.