Rail network given cash injection

[Mojo]

Network Rail has announced plans to invest £2.4bn in railway expansion over the next two years.

The schemes will include lengthening hundreds of platforms, introducing speed increases on certain lines, new tracks and major resignalling.

The improvements will be carried out from this month to March 2009.

Chief executive John Armitt said the investment was a response by Network Rail to the rising demand for rail travel in the UK.

Network Rail will provide £1.73bn in funding, with the rest of the money coming from other sources such as the Department for Transport and local authorities.

Some of the schemes that are to be introduced over the next two years include projects connected with the 2012 Olympics, on which £109 million will be spent by March 2009.

There are also new platforms planned at Manchester Airport station and at King's Cross in London as well as £165m of new track in the Trent Valley.

Mr Armitt said: "Three million people use the railways each day, more than at any time in the past 60 years, and we're not standing still waiting for the big infrastructure projects to be delivered.

Mr Armitt told the BBC that the investment would make the experience of using trains "better".

He said: "The improvements we're making, particularly on lengthening platforms, will enable longer trains which reduces overcrowding.

"Improving stations makes people's travel experience better; improving car parks enables them to use the trains and to get less hassle on their journey in the mornings and in the evenings."

The announcement comes after a difficult period for Network Rail. In February, the company accepted the initial findings of a preliminary rail accident investigation which said the train derailment in Cumbria, in which one person died, was caused by faulty points.

Then the Office of Rail Regulation said it was concerned the company was underspending on the railways.

And last week Network Rail was fined £4 million for Health and Safety at Work Act breaches by its predecessor Railtrack in connection with the 1999 Paddington rail crash, which killed 31 people.

Individual documents can be found at http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/3085.aspx

 

[WessexWarrior]

Southern: Waterloo redevelopment, Southampton line gauge enhancements.

What do these entail?

 

[Tom]

Larger containers between Basingstoke and Southampton (basically Soton Tunnel will be enlargened)... Waterloo redevelopment means longer platforms and a new concourse level apparently.

 

[DescendingSadly]

*le sigh*

all the while we have stock running oop north from the 1970's!

I'm aware that isn't network rail's responsibility but it frustrates me that this money could be used to replace severely outdated stock, what's the point in linespeed improvements when the class 142's which are used alot can't even reach high speed?

 

[ChrisCooper]

What 1970's stock do you have up north? If you're talking about Pacers, they were built in the mid to late 80's.

 

[Darandio]

*le sigh*

all the while we have stock running oop north from the 1970's!

I'm aware that isn't network rail's responsibility but it frustrates me that this money could be used to replace severely outdated stock, what's the point in linespeed improvements when the class 142's which are used alot can't even reach high speed?

But on many of the routes the 142 works it cannot even use its top speed anyway because of the line speeds. And like Chris said, the Pacers were built in 85'.

 

[matt]

Midlands: East and West midlands signalling control centres, East Midlands parkway, Midland main line speed improvements, Nottingham station remodelling, Coventry resignalling and partial Leamington line doubling, platform extensions, Shewsbury, Cannock and snow hill linespeed enhancements.

Tile Hill and Berkswell are getting longer platforms presumably to allow 8 coaches train instead of the usual 3/4 coaches

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/3085.aspx This shows of the proposed changes and upgrades etc

 

[ntanswell]

The upgrading of the Birmingham to Bristol line from 100mph to 125mph will be great if they can pull it off.

 

[Tom B]

*le sigh*

all the while we have stock running oop north from the 1970's!

I'm aware that isn't network rail's responsibility but it frustrates me that this money could be used to replace severely outdated stock, what's the point in linespeed improvements when the class 142's which are used alot can't even reach high speed?

New stock isn't a priority - now there's a load of new SRDC trains, that *of course* means that there's no need for any new rolling stock. In the eyes of the politicians and the media who see nowhere outside the South East.

 

[Z12XE]

Network Rail has announced plans to invest £2.4bn in railway expansion over the next two years.

Whilst I'm sure all this money is going to be well spent (although I wonder how much is going in general railway wastage which has become to common recently) but very few of these are new schemes.

All they have done is reannounced schemes which were already going ahead. No doubt this was timed to correspond with something they wanted to bury.

 

[Dennis]

Some of these reannouncements might have something to do with recent underspending by NR....

 

[Z12XE]

Some of these reannouncements might have something to do with recent underspending by NR....

Yes, amusing that.

They've been moaning for 40+ years that they spend too much on the railways (and especially recently with the Con. Rail scheme and various RUSs) but just this week someone comes out and says the opposite.

The Government needs to get off its backside and decide a proper rail policy for the entire network, rather than this give with one hand (NRs massive spend) and take with the other (The DfTs various daft schemes and bargain basement TOCs), some of these daft DfT things have really brought in a level of uncertainly which needs to be killed off, quickly

 

[devon_metro]

It's excellent to see tilt proposed in the SW! Not sure what they mean by headways between Newton Abbot and Plymouth?

 

[David]

Whilst I'm sure all this money is going to be well spent (although I wonder how much is going in general railway wastage which has become to common recently) but very few of these are new schemes.

All they have done is reannounced schemes which were already going ahead. No doubt this was timed to correspond with something they wanted to bury.

I agree, just looking at the list of improvements planned for Eastern England, the plans I didn't know about are on the GEML. As for the rest....

Peterborough New platform - Announced and planned a long time ago, although nothing has happened yet

Hull docks line improvements - Happening shortly.

New 185 depot York - Already built and in use.

Newcastle line speed improvements - Planned for early next year (IIRC).

Additional platform Kings Cross - Being built now.

Grade separated junction Hitchin - Been planned for a long time. Nothing happening yet though.

 

[Dennis]

re Hull docks line and 185 depot, aren't these mainly privately funded anyway? Would seem wrong to include spending someone elses cash...

re future planning and funding - hopefully this will all be sorted out in the forthcoming HLOS and SOFA. Can't help but think what a success the last 10yr transport plan was; didn't Prescott suggest we could judge whether he was a success by the outcome of this? Failure.

 

[compsci]

Much of what is mentioned seems to be things which have been talked about for a while anyway, but just hadn't got the money yet. Given the massive underspend on small schemes (which is what most of the items are) in recent years, it seems that NR are just catching up rather than creating some sort of revolution.

 

[Woody]

It's excellent to see tilt proposed in the SW! Not sure what they mean by headways between Newton Abbot and Plymouth?

They certainly need to do something to stimulate rail travel west of Exeter as the following quote from Network Rails 2007 business plans shows,"Between 2000 and 2006 rail passenger demand has grown by up to 20 percent for journeys from Exeter and Taunton to London, and up to 40 percent to the Midlands. However, this is in contrast to the minimal growth for journeys to similar locations from Plymouth, and west thereof. Growth in local journeys to Exeter and Plymouth is fairly static."

These figures merely reflect the dreadful neglect of the rail route west of Exeter which has choked off demand here for rail travel.

 

[devon_metro]

There is no capacity on our train for growth sadly!

 

[Kris]

They certainly need to do something to stimulate rail travel west of Exeter as the following quote from Network Rails 2007 business plans shows,"Between 2000 and 2006 rail passenger demand has grown by up to 20 percent for journeys from Exeter and Taunton to London, and up to 40 percent to the Midlands. However, this is in contrast to the minimal growth for journeys to similar locations from Plymouth, and west thereof. Growth in local journeys to Exeter and Plymouth is fairly static."

These figures merely reflect the dreadful neglect of the rail route west of Exeter which has choked off demand here for rail travel.

Easy - re-instate double track on the fastest route to London - Exeter to Waterloo - jealously downgraded when under Western control in the 60's and very nearly closed west of Salisbury.

Give them a good Southern service on comfortable 159's instead of Last Grunt Rustworn and I'm sure you'll attract more passengers down that way.

 

[devon_metro]

Easy - re-instate double track on the fastest route to London - Exeter to Waterloo - jealously downgraded when under Western control in the 60's and very nearly closed west of Salisbury.

Give them a good Southern service on comfortable 159's instead of Last Grunt Rustworn and I'm sure you'll attract more passengers down that way.

I would actually take SWT to London if it was more frequent! I love the 159 seats!

 

[Woody]

Easy - re-instate double track on the fastest route to London - Exeter to Waterloo - jealously downgraded when under Western control in the 60's and very nearly closed west of Salisbury.

Give them a good Southern service on comfortable 159's instead of Last Grunt Rustworn and I'm sure you'll attract more passengers down that way.

The problem in this part of the world(Plymouth/Cornwall) as I have repeatedly said is the slow and sinuous rail route west of Newton Abbott which means rail journey times here are seriously handicapped compared with road and increasingly air (Newquay Airport).It takes 2 hours by train from Plymouth to Penzance(82 miles),roughly the same time it takes the fastest train between Exeter and Paddington(172 miles).That is not competitive hence why growth in rail travel from this part of the world is bucking national trends.

 

[Woody]

It's excellent to see tilt proposed in the SW! Not sure what they mean by headways between Newton Abbot and Plymouth?

The Network Rail 2007 buusiness plan says regards to Taunton-Plymouth and I quote "tilt is no longer under consideration by Virgin Crosscountry due to redeployment of the class 221 fleet"

 

[Kris]

I didnt sign Plymouth when I was at Salisbury - may be in that link when I get back there though.

Have to see what it's like then.

If I can dig it out - I've got a brochure somewhere about SWT's vision for new trains to the South West (from around 2001) which included Voyager/Meridian style trains.

I think at that time the government were on about re-franchising the W.O.E. line seperately from SWT.

There was even talk of having a service to Okehampton - but that was just to get extra subsidy I think.