R A I LT R AC K - The Railways Archive

4
foreword
The 12 months since publication of the 1998 Network Management Statement have been momentous for the industry.
• Passenger and freight volumes have continued to grow strongly.
• The Gove rn m e n t ’s Integrated Tra n s p o rt Policy White Paper has set out new opportunities and direction for the rail industry.
• The Deputy Prime Minister’s two Rail Summits have provided a catalyst for the industry – Railtrack and train opera t o rs – to come
together to address the problem of train punctuality.
• The issue of growth and the creation of the right financial incentives to facilitate this have been placed fi rm ly on the agenda.
• The creation of the Strategic Rail A u t h o rity has moved forward with the appointment of Sir Alastair Morton as Chairman designate.
• The Gove rnment has offered franchise renegotiation on the basis of key cri t e ria at the second Rail Summit.
• The Channel Tunnel Rail Link has been rescued by a deal between the Gove rnment and Railtra c k , and construction has begun.
Perhaps the key thing for me, however, is the growing recognition of our interdependence as players within the newly structured
industry.To deliver the more reliable, faster services that the user wants,requires effective collaboration between us,train operators,
and our suppliers.The adversarial approach does not work.
This 1999 Network Management Statement is primarily about growth – how we provide for the additional capacity in the
network to overcome current constraints and to accommodate the future demands for passenger and freight.
The balance of our ten-year programme reflects this shift of priorities away from merely maintaining and renewing the existing
network towards providing more capacity and improved capability. £11bn (40%) of our £27bn expenditure plan that we have set
out in this Statement is for network enhancement.This scale of investment will allow us to accommodate a 30% growth in passenger
traffic over the next ten years along with major growth in freight traffic – and thereby bring about significant benefits to society from
reduced emissions, congestion and improved safety.This annual growth rate of 3% is in line with the Deputy Prime Minister’s target.
These plans are underpinned by support from our customers – the train operators – and are in line with what we believe
our wider stakeholders – rail users,central and local governments – want.Indeed,based on the extensive consultations that we have
carried out, we see this very much as an industry plan for development of the rail network.
Over the coming months, there will be discussions with governments and the Rail Regulator, over priorities and funding
requirements. Central to this is the Rail Regulator’s periodic review of access charges which has to provide the right financial
framework to enable delivery of the investment needed.
This is the challenge that we, in conjunction with the new Strategic Rail Authority, must now rise to. We look forward to
concluding this framework so that we can get on and deliver our part of the deal.
Sir Robert Horton.Chairman