R A I LT R AC K - The Railways Archive

sustaining
We have reduced
delays caused by
infrastructure-related
failures or our
management of the
network by more
than 40%
34
4.1
4.1 Criteria
Our actions to sustain the network form a central part of
our Plan.Section 5 sets out the outputs we plan to achieve.
This section discusses our criteria and policies for maintaining
and renewing the network,including stations and light
maintenance depots (LMDs).
In addition to ensuring that we can continue to deliver
services at current output levels,these plans will result in
improved reliability of the network and other benefits. We
have already reduced delays caused by infrastructure-related
failures or our management of the network by more than
40%.Through our plans, we intend to continue to improve
on this key measure of performance.
We also plan to further improve station facilities as they
are renewed.
Key criteria and objectives. In later parts of this
section, we define the philosophies which underpin each
component of expenditure. Our criteria for investment in
maintenance and renewal of the network are that we will:
Comply with statute. Improvements in safety and
environmental impacts associated with rail travel flow in par t
from the development of legislation.While no single major
compliance issue dominates the foreseeable future , we do
forecast a number of additional requirements,and delivery of
these has been provided for in this Plan.
Comply with other binding commitments that we
have given in contracts with train operators and
funders. We have established with each of our customers
a process for reviewing our plans.Where we are able to
modify any maintenance or renewal activity in order to help
a customer better achieve their goals,then we try to do so.
Where a requirement is included within a binding
agreement,then its delivery is treated as a firm commitment.
Comply with commitments given in our NMS.
As noted in the next section,the performance improvement
targets represented in this NMS are considerable. In addition,
there are commitments to improvements in asset quality,
station facilities and other network outputs.Significantly, these
improvements will be delivered against a background of
increasing growth in train and passenger kilometres.We
confirm that the maintenance and renewal plans and
expenditures allow for achievement of these objectives.
Minimise whole-life costs. The output of the network
for use by train services arises from the combination of
different types of route asset operating together, rather than
the quality and capability of individual asset types in isolation.
Consequently, our objective in assessing maintenance and
renewal is to minimise whole-life costs for each route, while
seeking to maintain an improving trend in route reliability,
capability and other outputs.Where the route strategy is still
being evolved,then we may need to optimise the whole-life
costs for each asset group. A key element of the reductions
in costs is the successful packaging of work activities along
route sections (see also Section 4.4).
Impact on customers. We will work with our
contractors and customers to ensure that our maintenance
and renewal programmes are carried out in such a way as to
minimise the impact on train services. We cover this in more
detail in Section 6.8.
Enhance and develop the network to provide
customer and funder benefits. Full details of the
customer consultation process and the development
proposals which have resulted are described in other
sections of this document.These enhancements will be
delivered in conjunction with ongoing maintenance and
renewal activities,and the efficient interaction of all types of
construction activity is an important consideration.We
confirm that the plans have been prepared on an integrated
basis even though the expenditure plans have been
presented separately.