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Responding to the ORR’s announcement today that it requires Network Rail to return £53.1m to funders as a result of shortfalls in performance between 2009 – 2014, Michael Roberts, director general of the Rail Delivery Group, said:
"Britain's railway achieves higher passenger satisfaction and has a better safety record than any of its major European counterparts. Major improvements made by Network Rail in the last five years have been key to that success, but the industry's recent record on punctuality has not come up to scratch. Passengers rightly expect something to be done.
"Network Rail has been penalised for its failure to reduce infrastructure faults quickly enough in the face of growing demand and will remain under the regulatory spotlight. The news that Government wants to use the funds returned to the Treasury to pay for improvements, alongside plans to make the network more resilient, are positive signs of how the system can work for passengers.
"Equally important is the joint commitment of train operators and Network Rail to raise our game on punctuality. By working together to improve the physical and operational reliability of the track, trains and other parts of our network, we aim to make Europe's best railway even better."
