Iain Coucher, chief executive Network Rail.
THIS is a time of success for Network Rail and for the railway in Britain. We have worked hard together as an industry to deliver for passengers and freight users each and every day.
There is much of which we can be proud. Punctuality is at the highest level we have ever seen – indeed, in the first half of 2008, there were only 28 days in which the network-wide public performance measure slipped below 90 per cent. As a result, passenger satisfaction levels remain at an all-time high with over 80 per cent happy with their journey experience, and passenger numbers have risen to a peacetime record.
We have a very safe railway and have worked hard to bring running costs down.
We are also investing heavily, and at sustained high levels that have not been seen for decades. The UK train fleet has an average age of 15 years, making it the youngest in Europe.
At Network Rail, we have been pouring money into track and signalling, spending £1.85 billion on renewals last year, and a further £1 billion on expanding the system, with projects such as new and longer platforms.
Last November saw the completion of the country’s first high-speed line – HS1 – together with the magnificent restoration of St Pancras station (for which Network Rail cannot claim credit, but does operate and manage). Both are testament to the expertise and skills within this industry.
Network Rail is also working hard to expand our railway skills base through initiatives such as our tremendously successful apprenticeship scheme, run out of HMS Sultan in Gosport, Hampshire. This year we had 3,500 applications for the 240 places available, and have 750 apprentices already on our books.
Better facilities for our workers are another priority, with investment in signalboxes and training centres throughout the country for maintenance workers and signallers.
Collectively, we have worked hard to make rail a success and should be justifiably proud of these achievements. But – and of course there was always going to be a ‘but’ – our job continues and we have fresh challenges ahead, principally that of growth.
With Europe’s fastest growing railway (more passengers, more freight) comes a rise in expectations. More people want to travel on trains early in the morning and late at night, which cuts into our opportunities for undertaking engineering work. Our challenge is to accommodate this demand, while working to expand and renew the railway.
Since the problems we encountered at New Year, we have reviewed thoroughly the way we carry out our projects – lessons have been learned and implemented. This year we have delivered over £2 billion worth of upgrades to the network, on time and without fuss. It is against this backdrop of scores of projects, all over the country, that Network Rail must be judged.
Observers are fond of comparing Network Rail’s performance with that of foreign railways. But these comparisons can be misleading. Some countries have lower cost bases – for example, those smaller countries that have benefited from high and steady levels of investment over many decades.
Network Rail is delivering efficiencies. By March 2009 we will have cut the cost of running the railway over the previous five years by some 30 per cent – that’s billions of pounds saved. But could we do the same again over the next five years, as we have been asked to do by the Office of Rail Regulation?
This request has been made against a background of rising fuel prices, increasing costs for the copper used in cabling and the steel for bridges and rail, and record levels of traffic on the railway. Can we accommodate all that at the same time as achieving massive cuts in operating expenditure?
It is crucial for everyone who uses the railway that we get an equitable financial settlement for 2009-14 from the ORR later this year. If we do, the future is bright for the railway.
We will finish the work on the West Coast Route Modernisation this year, al-lowing faster and more frequent trains. Further projects in prospect will transform the railway: Thameslink, Crossrail, the Airdrie-Bathgate reopening, Glasgow Airport Rail Link, rebuilding at Reading and Birmingham New Street stations and a host of smaller schemes besides.
At the same time, the idea of a rolling programme of electrification is gaining momentum, and we have initiated a study into the prospects for new railway lines.
We all want to see, and be part of, a bigger, better railway. This is crucial for UK plc, and for the continued development of a sustainable and low-carbon transport system.