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Wednesday 31 Mar 2004

NETWORK RAIL PUBLISHES 10 YEAR BUSINESS PLAN - A CLEAR PLAN FOR A BETTER RAILWAY -

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Network Rail today unveiled its 2004 business plan, which highlights unprecedented investment and a clear plan for improving Britain’s railway. Over the next five years the company will spend some £26 Billion to deliver a safe, reliable and value for money railway. The 2004 Business Plan is the first based on a fixed and certain level of income and gives the business stability and a clear direction. It sets out a detailed blueprint for improving performance and reducing costs through a huge programme of activity. It demonstrates how Network Rail will deliver £14 million each day on operating, maintaining, renewing and enhancing the network to deliver the maximum benefit for Britain’s rail users. The plan details Network Rail’s commitment to achieving better than pre-Hatfield levels of performance before the end of 2006. Whilst this is already the case in parts of the country on some days and weeks, the Company’s challenge is to do so consistently over a 12 month period. Network Rail further shows how it will achieve consistent 90% train punctuality within five years. Around £700m has been allocated to the railway in the Midlands over the next three years aimed at tackling the legacy of under investment and building on the improvements Network Rail has already made. - more - Plan – 2 Robbie Burns, Network Rail Regional Director said: “This clear plan shows our commitment to deliver a better train service to the passenger through the enormous amount of activity and investment that will be pumped into Britain’s ageing railway infrastructure over the next five years. “The plan will build on the substantial achievements of the last 18 months. Train punctuality has improved significantly and Network Rail delays have reduced. We are not complacent. We recognise the urgent need to improve the railway and that much remains to be done. Network Rail relishes the challenge ahead as it forges a new railway that is better able to cope with the increasing demands placed upon it.” During 2004-5 a record £200m has been earmarked for track and maintenance renewal in the region. The coming year will see the renewal of 359 kilometres of track, a 29% increase on 2003-04. Engineers have assessed the whole of the network and prioritised sites. Having secured these funds Network Rail will proactively work to prevent speed restrictions being imposed and improve the reliability of the infrastructure. Routine maintenance is essential to the safe, reliable running of the railway. The company will be focussing its efforts on efficiency and affordability ensuring that every pound counts. In February 2004 around 1, 000 Serco maintenance contractors were successfully transferred in-house in the East Midlands. By the end of the summer over 2,000 contractors from Amey and Carillion will also come on board. This will lead to efficiencies with clear lines of responsibility, fewer overheads and more direct input into engineering decisions. -more- Plan - 3 Rail performance in the Midlands is showing welcome signs of significant improvement. Overall performance in the region from September 2003 to February 2004 has improved by 31%, compared to that of the same period in the previous year. Attention to detail, thorough planning and close co-operation with the train operators paid dividends during the leaf fall period with the best autumnal performance for many years. Mr Burns continued: “The 2004 Business Plan marks the next phase of Network Rail’s task of rebuilding Britain’s railway. It gives us certainty about the future, where we can look forward to sustained high levels of investment and increased activity levels, that will lead to more reliable, better railway for our customers and rail users.”