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Minister for Transport Lord Macdonald today welcomed Railtrack's announcement of its plans for a blitz on track repairs over this weekend.
He said that, following yesterday's meeting between regulators, heads of the rail industry and the Deputy Prime Minister, it was clear that urgent action was now being taken in the priority areas of the network.
Lord Macdonald said:
"I understand Railtrack will have 20,000 staff out on the track this weekend. This massive programme of work is essential to take forward the National Track Recovery Programme announced by the DPM yesterday.
" Checking and fixing problems on this huge scale will inevitably mean that trains will be delayed over the next two days. But the sooner these essential safety checks are completed the safer people will feel and the sooner timetables will get back to normal."
Media enquiries 020 7944 3108; Out of hours: 020 7944 5925 or 5945 Public Enquiries Unit 020 7944 3000 E-mail: press@dtlr.gov.uk Web site http://www.dtlr.gov.uk/
