14.02.18
Network Rail CP6 plan: Route details revealed
Network Rail has revealed further information about individual funding to its eight national routes following this week’s Strategic Business Plan.
London North Western is to receive the greatest proportion of funding, with £5.8bn earmarked for maintenance and renewals activity for the five-year period of the plan.
Then, London North Eastern & East Midlands is set for the second largest pot, at £5.3bn, while the South East will be given nearly £4bn.
The Anglia, Western and Wessex routes will all get similar funding pots ranging between £2.6-2.1bn, with Scotland also given £2.8bn and Wales apportioned the least funds at around £1.4bn.
The details build on Network Rail’s earlier announcement of its national plan, which include less major infrastructure projects than the previous control period and a focus on safety and reducing delays.
Officials from the national infrastructure manager said the focus on London North Western was needed in order to prepare for increased demand in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, especially with HS2 approaching.
“By improving performance and preparing for increased future demand for rail travel, our 2019-to-2024 plan will help facilitate further economic growth across all the regions we serve,” explained Martin Frobisher, the routes managing director.
“By moving our major cities closer together, notably with HS2 and the Great North Rail Project, we will continue to create new possibilities and new opportunities for the taxpayers and customers who pay our wages.”
In its national statement, Network Rail’s outgoing CEO Mark Carne explained that the way the organisation operates its renewals will be changing.
He said that contracts would now be dished out through a phased model of deliver rather than all being released at once near the beginning of the period. This is expected to decrease the effect on the supply chain and not “overload” suppliers.
New Wales and Borders funding
In Wales, where passengers will see the least overall investment in improvement and maintenance, Network Rail is working closely with officials from Wales and Borders for the first time.
Andy Thomas, route managing director, said the announcement meant “record levels” of expenditure for the newly devolved Wales and Border.
He commented: “The plan reflects our stakeholders’ collective objectives and supports economic growth, helping to connect people, businesses and communities.
“It includes the renewal of the iconic, Grade II listed Barmouth Viaduct and Phase 2 of the Port Talbot resignalling scheme, plus a significant number of diverse schemes to deliver as many benefits as possible for passengers at a local level.”
Increasing capacity and tackling delays
On the Anglia, Wessex and Western routes, there is an emphasis on both expanding the capacity on the network and dealing with Network Rail’s overall commitment to reduce delays by 15%.
Reliability is central to the national plans, with around £18.5bn of the total £48bn national spend allocated to maintenance and operations cost across the network.
Becky Lumlock, route managing director for Network Rail’s Wessex route, said: “This ambitious plan will help us deliver a more reliable service for the millions of people who travel on the route every day, from Waterloo to Portsmouth, and beyond.
“Our stretch of railway is one the busiest and most congested in the UK - we’re already running at capacity with 230 million passenger journeys a year, and that number is only set to rise. This investment will help us meet this growing demand head-on.”
Mark Langman, her Network Rail counterpart for Western, commented: “Passenger journeys will be transformed from 2019 with 140,000 new services each year across the route, better connecting communities and driving economic growth.”
Anglia managing director, Meliha Duymaz, added: “Investment in rail is critical to powering economic growth with more trains, faster services and better connections which is a key part of our railway upgrade plan.
“This also means greater demand on the network as we address the challenge of running more services while maintaining performance and reliability, which we know is what is most important to passengers.”
The regional plans, which can be found here, represent a more detailed view of Network Rail’s future actions than the national programme.
Top image: Network Rail
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