NETWORK RAIL RESPONDS TO ORR PUBLICATION ON 2009 TO 2014 CONTROL PERIOD

Wednesday 28 Feb 2007

NETWORK RAIL RESPONDS TO ORR PUBLICATION ON 2009 TO 2014 CONTROL PERIOD

Region & Route:: National

Responding to the ORR’s publication of its early view on Network Rail’s funding for the period 2009 to 2014, Network Rail’s Director of Planning & Regulation, Paul Plummer, said: "It is extremely encouraging that, at this early stage of the periodic review process, there is a good deal of consensus over Network Rail’s funding requirement for the period 2009 to 2014. We have an ambitious programme of growth, including: upgrading the Thameslink route, redeveloping Birmingham New Street station and facilitating longer trains on key commuter routes across the country." Network Rail will update, in the Autumn, its response to the ORR’s publication today, and following the publication of the Government’s High Level Output Specification. Background In its initial strategic business plan in July 2006, the company outlined the extra investment it believes is needed to accommodate predicted 30% growth in passengers and freight across the 20,000 mile network. Some examples of projects that could increase capacity include:

Thameslink Programme
Waterloo redevelopment
Birmingham New Street
Southampton to West Coast freight upgrade
North London Line capacity enhancements
Airdrie-Bathgate line reinstatement between Edinburgh and Glasgow
Edinburgh and Glasgow airport rail links

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We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

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