01.02.08
New carriages for busy routes
Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, has published details of how extra capacity will be delivered on some of the rail network's busiest routes.
1300 extra carriages were promised as part of last year's White Paper - Delivering a Sustainable Railway - which set out plans to increase capacity to carry over 180m more passengers over the next seven years - growth of more than 20%.
Today's publication of the Rolling Stock Plan is a major step forward in meeting that commitment by providing indicative numbers of additional carriages needed by English Train Operating Companies to meet the ambitious plans for growth of our railways until 2014.
Extra capacity will be secured through additional new carriages and through re-deployment of existing carriages which will mean longer vehicles can run on busy routes and at peak times.
The new carriages will increase the current rolling stock fleet of around 10% and around 100,000 extra seats each day on the busiest parts of the network.
Ruth Kelly said: "Passenger numbers have grown by an unprecedented 40% over the last decade, so that more people than ever before are travelling by train. The Government is investing £10bn to increase capacity on the railways benefiting those travelling on the busiest routes in cities like Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester and London.
"Following today's publication of the rolling stock plan, Network Rail can now begin their preparations for extending platforms, depots and sidings to accommodate longer trains. This is a major step forward towards fulfilling our commitment to tackle overcrowding on the busiest routes and, deliver real improvements for rail passengers.”
Detailed discussions with Network Rail and Train Operating Companies will continue and proposals assessed to ensure plans deliver value for money to both passengers and taxpayers.
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