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With new investment we can now see the shape of a better railway
date 24 October 2000 source Railway Forum type Press release
Speaking on the signing of heads of agreement on the South Central rail franchise by the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority with GoVia, David Morphet, Director General of The Railway Forum said:
"The process of franchise renewal has become a major catalyst for investment. With today’s news and the previous decisions on Chiltern and Midland Mainline, the successful parties have in total committed to deliver investment of over £2 billion over the next 20 years.
Together with new investment associated with the further franchise awards in the pipeline, and the £14.9bn expenditure by Railtrack encompassed in yesterday’s Periodic Review announcement, we can now see the shape of a better railway, offering greater safety, comfort and reliability to all its users.
In fact we expect over £25 billion to be invested in rail over the next five years.
It is greatly encouraging to see the industry’s assets being renewed in this way, after decades of neglect."
