Posted 13th September 2013 | 4 Comments
Network Rail 'must do better', warns ORR
Landslips and floods have been increasing
TALKS are set to take place between the Government and Network Rail, after a critical report from the Office of Regulation outlined flaws in the company's stewardship of the railway. The ORR's chief executive has accused it of 'facing many problems of its own making'.
Among Network Rail's shortcomings is a lack of measures to improve drainage, which is increasingly becoming an issue after heavy rain caused serious floods on railways over the past year or two. The number of landslips has also risen.
The ORR says other problems include insufficient knowledge of assets and backlogs in the civil renewals programme, and that 'the reliability of information Network Rail holds on the condition of its tracks, bridges and other assets is not as good as it should be'.
The regulator concedes that it has seen some improvement, but warns that there remains 'a good deal of work ahead for the company to be as efficient as it can be'. This latest assessment also highlights that the renewals backlog tends to affect performance. Poor performance on some key routes, particularly the West Coast Main Line, continues to be a major bone of contention.
ORR chief executive Richard Price said: “Network Rail has been entrusted with large amounts of public and passengers’ money, which, if invested well, should deliver the levels of efficiency and punctuality it promised to deliver. However, the company is falling short of expectations at the moment. It is facing many problems of its own making, having failed to deliver plans to renew Britain’s rail network, with delayed works now affecting performance. The company must urgently catch-up and address the problems which are causing disruption to passengers and target its work as efficiently as possible. This is vital as it heads towards its new five-year delivery plan with more stretching targets.”
There is also some good news for the company. The ORR acknowledges that Network Rail has made progress in several areas, such as concentrating signalling and control centres on far fewer sites and also reducing its use of sub-contractors. These moves are helping to reduce expenditure now and in the longer term.
The report also highlights that Network Rail is on course to deliver its rail enhancement programme. The ORR said that over the past year the company had completed the upgrade of a route across south London so that London Overground trains can continue from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction, electrified the Paisley Canal line in Glasgow and lengthened platforms to increase capacity on the East Coast Main Line.
Rail minister Norman Baker is expected to meet chief executive David Higgins to deliver the core message that Network Rail 'must do better'. Mr Baker told the BBC: "I am, as I think the rest of the travelling public will be, dismayed to learn that Network Rail is still failing to tackle deterioration in the punctuality and reliability of the network -- a matter I have regularly raised with them. Fare payers and tax payers are investing heavily in the future of the railways and they need to have the confidence that Network Rail is maximising the impact every pound has."
Network Rail has yet to respond to the ORR's findings.
Meanwhile, former oil executive Mark Carne will replace David Higgins in 2014, taking full control on 1 April after a changeover period. David Higgins let it be known that he had decided to move on before the company's AGM in July this year.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
jbzoom, Guildford
Martin, freight accounts for a small percentage of total rail traffic and is kept off the busiest lines during peak hours. Investment in better rail freight facilities keeps freight traffic off the roads but does very little to relieve passenger traffic. HS2 is intended to shift up to 20,000 long distance passengers around. Its cost is approximately 0.1% of national income over the next 20 years - or less than two years housing benefit. By contrast the Victorians invested between 5% and 10% of national income in new railways at the height of the railway boom - which offset much of the downside of a period known at the time as the "Great Depression". They were 50 times smarter than us - the HS2 antis are doing their best to turn the country of Brindley, Jessop, Telford, Brunel , Stephenson and Faraday into the country only of Victor Meldrew.
Chris Neville-Smith, Durham
"Perhaps dumping HS2, and replacing it with a high cube freight network that could take the freight off the congested network and permit the congestion to be addressed that way, encouraging transport of semi trailers etc on long haul freight routes as well to reduce road construction could also be considered...."
You might have a point if you propose what is built, how much you think it will cost, how much freight you think it will it take off the existing railways, and how many more passenger services you think could be introduced as a result.
So, will we hear a proposal of any substance?
"Nah, why let common sense spoil a jolly good vanity project!"
Very nice. Why let a reasoned proposal get in the way of a good old tired unimaginative soundbite?
Martin Hollands, Aylesbury
If ORR really want to allow NR to improve performance etc, it would allow them to do the unthinkable and limit the number of trains operating on the network.
The major factor in poor performance is a lack of space on the network. A network that was never designed for the volume and mix of traffic it currently accomodates.
Of course this would mean massive overcrowding and a de facto reduction of passengers travelling on the network and an increase in road travel as a result. Altenatively a wholescale reduction of speed on the network to permit shorter headway.
Of course a fully moving block signalling solution would also help but couldn't be introduced given that the network couldn't be shut down to deliver it, or works to introduce it in parallel wouldn't be permitted as it would increase delays!
Perhaps dumping HS2, and replacing it with a high cube freight network that could take the freight off the congested network and permit the congestion to be addressed that way, encouraging transport of semi trailers etc on long haul freight routes as well to reduce road construction could also be considered.... Nah, why let common sense spoil a jolly good vanity project!
Tony Pearce, Reading
In 2012 164 landslides were reported, apparently over 250% more than the annual average. Obviously the weather has been getting wetter recently and making this more common. However landslips are a real Achilles Heal to Railways. Because they often happen without warning, the dangers are obvious regarding derailments and there is not too much Network Rail can do apart from keep maintenance of drainage upto date. Anecdotally I have been told by a retired British Rail Engineer that much of the data regarding drainage was held in the memories of the track staff who had their particular stretch of track to patrol and maintain. On more than one occassion he had to find retired railwaymen to tell him where a particular drainage culvert was situated before starting expensive work. I hope the situation today is better than that !!