Further details of Railway doom from Notwork: Fail
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www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,171-630482,00.html
New rail operator steps back from plan to cut delays
NETWORK RAIL yesterday abandoned targets set by Railtrack for cutting delays and mending broken rails, claiming that they were too ambitious.
The not-for-profit replacement for Railtrack also asked the Government for £11 billion extra to run the railway network until 2006, equivalent to £2 for every rail journey or £440 for every household.
But Network Rail said that even if it received all the money, it could not deliver its predecessor’s timetable for restoring punctuality to levels seen before the Hatfield crash in October 2000.
Railtrack predicted a year ago that it would cut delays for which it was responsible to eight million minutes a year by 2006. Network Rail’s target is 11 million minutes.
Railtrack had pledged to reduce the number of broken rails from 500 last year to 134 by 2006. Network Rail’s business plan, published yesterday, set a figure of 291.
The number of speed restrictions will remain virtually unchanged over the next year, with more than 550 expected still to be in force by April 2004. Railtrack had promised to lift 50 speed restrictions by next year and another 120 by 2006. The revised targets will be used to help to calculate the bonuses of Network Rail’s senior directors, worth up to 80 per cent of their salaries.
John Armitt, the chief executive, denied that the less ambitious targets would make it easier for them to receive large bonuses.
He admitted that performance had plummeted since Network Rail took over in October, with the steady improvements seen up to last autumn reversed by a series of storms before Christmas. The number of incidents such as track defects and signal failures has remained stable but each is having a greater impact, with the time taken to restore services rising by 27 per cent.
Mr Armitt said the network had been starved of investment over several decades, creating a “bow wave” of ageing and defective track. Railtrack had replaced only 200 miles of rails a year, less than half the rate required to keep the network in a stable condition.
Mr Armitt said 4,000 miles of rails were now past their recommended 40-year lifespan. Many signalling systems were half a century old and 325 signal boxes were still using Victorian manual controls. Urgent modernisation work would cause severe disruption over the next few years.
Mr Armitt said: “We are not going to get instant success because in order to spend money we have to disrupt the railway significantly.” He said that Network Rail was facing a “severe challenge” in persuading its 14,000 employees to behave as if they worked in a competitive industry, rather than for a monopoly supplier.
Mr Armitt rejected the suggestion by Tom Winsor, the Rail Regulator, that the company should save money by reducing the amount of maintenance it carried out.
“There is a trade-off, and if you keep cutting back then undoubtedly performance will worsen. If we delay renewals we will have a more fragile network which, in turn, will lead to more train delays.”
One alternative to increasing Network Rail’s funding would be to close loss-making rural lines, but that would be unacceptable to rail travellers.
Tim Collins, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “These figures confirm that the financial management of the rail network has sharply deteriorated since Labour ministers effectively took direct control when they shut down Railtrack.
“The long-suffering taxpayer will now have to shell out billions of pounds extra for a rail service whose punctuality, frequency of service and accessibility seem likely only to get worse.”
Mr Winsor will now consider Network Rail’s bid for more money on top of the £17 billion it has already been awarded for the five years to 2006. The taxpayer will have to fund most of any extra grant, but fare increases are expected to exceed the rate of inflation.
Tim Collins, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “These figures confirm that the financial management of the rail network has been completely fcuked up by those incompetent numpty-Labour minister-gangster cnuts who took direct control when they shut down Railtrack.
“The long-suffering taxpayer will now have to be financially-raped and shell out billions of pounds extra for a shite rail service which doesn't run, whose punctuality, frequency of service and accessibility make Father Christmas's sleigh seem a regular sight.”
Mr Winsor will now consider Network Rail’s bid for more wonga, cristal champagne, trips abroad, call girls and a jacuzzi in the head office boardroom on top of the £17 billion that has already been flushed down the carzee for the five years to 2006. The taxpayer will have to bend over and shit most of any extra grant, and fare increases are expected to exceed the cost of the war in Iraq.
Must of read a different paper
>> Edited by swilly on Tuesday 1st April 15:47
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