Network Rail - Railway Infrastructure Operator, United Kingdom

Network Rail (NR) was established in March 2002 and became responsible for the rail infrastructure of England, Scotland and Wales that October. Predecessor Railtrack had become subject to broad-based and persistent criticism, notably over cost escalations and delays with the West Coast Main Line modernisation and the circumstances surrounding accidents at Southall (1997), Ladbroke Grove (1999) and Hatfield (2000).

Losing share value, public confidence and Government support, Railtrack's effective existence ended with the transfer of assets to NR. At NR's creation in 2002, Britain's railways were at a mid-point of a ten-year period which has seen passenger levels increase by 40% and freight by 60%.

A private company limited by guarantee, NR members are drawn from the Department for Transport, the rail industry, public organisations and individual members of the public. In addition to infrastructure ownership, the company provides track access for train operating companies in the passenger and freight sectors, timetabling and signalling.

More an arm of the state than Railtrack, NR nevertheless runs as a commercial operation and can use private sector funding, with any operating surplus re-invested in the network. Main income streams are from track access charges levied on train operators, and commercial operation of the property portfolio.

Network Rail is a separate entity to National Rail, a collective identity of the passenger train companies for purposes of promotion, public timetables and ticketing.

THE PROJECT

NR states its overall objective as the provision of a 'safe, reliable and efficient rail infrastructure'. Since 2005 NR has published specific plans for its designated 26 'Strategic Routes', with reference to Route Utilisation Strategies (RUS) and other initiatives. For administrative purposes, NW has an organisation structure founded on eight routes that broadly reflect the operation of train operating companies.

NR has declared a profit for the first time, £747m before tax for the six months to September 2006. Determined by the duration of the Office of Rail Regulation control period, NR has published plans for the ensuing two years in their 2007 Business Plan.

As part of the process of rebuilding a cohesive body of railway skills and knowledge lost in the fragmentation following the demise of British Rail, NR is funding apprenticeships and training programmes, including those run at its own Westwood leadership development centre near Coventry.

Network Rail has brought much infrastructure maintenance 'in-house', employing its own staff rather than contracting line responsibilities to other companies, and in the process almost doubling its workforce to 32,000. It is committed to reducing controllable operating costs by £43m by the end of the control period.

Following a review in 2007, NR announced that four main renewals contractors would be retained until at least until March 2009, with GrantRail and Carillion Rail being dropped. Contractors are however used for replacement, new works and for specific projects such as the Whitemoor 'virtual quarry' yard in March, Cambridgeshire, opened in 2004 and managed by First GBRf. John Armitt, the first chief executive of Network Rail, left in 2007 and was replaced by Iain Coucher.

ROLLING STOCK

In addition to its specialised track vehicles, Network Rail operates the New Measurement Train, two Class 43 HST power cars with coaches containing equipment to assess track conditions whilst working within train schedules. It takes approximately two weeks to check the country's main lines. Vehicles and locomotives such as high route availability Class 31 and Class 73 are hired from other operators.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The route mileage of over 10,000 miles is most intensively used in south-east England, with the West Coast Main Line (WCML) being the busiest route. Areas with long but lightly used tracks include the north of Scotland, central Wales and Lincolnshire.

NR owns nearly all of the approximately 2,500 stations on the National Rail network, with most managed by the main train operating company at each station. Seventeen large stations, including most London termini, are directly managed by NR who claim that more than half of all passenger journeys start or end at these stations.

In recent years, high-profile station and track projects have been completed at Edinburgh Waverly, Manchester Piccadilly and Leeds. With a high incidence of historically significant structures, properties have to be developed in a sensitive manner yet within the scope of current market requirements and legislation. Parts of the Great Western main line between Paddington and Bristol have been forwarded for inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Unlike mainland European practice, there has been little emphasis in recent years on electrification, nor does it figure significantly in future plans, similarly with new routes. The RUS documents concentrate mainly on the means whereby existing infrastructure may unlock potential extra capacity. However, reconstruction of part of the Waverley Route and the Airdrie-Bathgate line has been sanctioned, plus links to Glasgow International Airport.

SIGNALLING/COMMUNICATIONS

The network features systems from various eras, including semaphore signals. The original intention to introduce 140mph (225km/h) running on the WCML foundered on the cost escalations and uncertainties of introducing moving block signalling with in-cab signalling.

NR has a £1.2bn project for installation by 2011 of Railway Communications System (GSM-R) to improve general information transfer and raise safety levels.

THE FUTURE

For the three years up to 2009, NR will be spending £400m on small to medium projects. For the biggest projects, the basic framework within NR operates are defined by Government as enshrined in the 'High Level Output Specification' and the 2007 white paper 'Delivering a Sustainable Railway'. The forthcoming main projects are Thameslink, the station areas at Birmingham New Street and London King's Cross, track layouts at Reading, Basingstoke and works in connection with 2012 London Olympics.

The main elements of the WCML upgrade should be complete by 2008, and covering a similarly broad area are the gauge improvements on freight corridors as part of projected 30% freight growth over decade by 2016 (240 extra trains per day). In the longer term, NR will be absorbing the infrastructure resulting from the Crossrail project. This appeared to move forward with the Government announcement of a funding arrangement in autumn 2007, with a projection of operations starting in 2017.

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