Office of Rail Regulation

Office of Rail Regulation PDF

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-07-12

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 9780215560506

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The Office of Rail Regulation (the Regulator) is the independent economic and safety regulator of the rail industry in England, Scotland and Wales. The Regulator's duties include promoting economy and efficiency in the rail industry with much of its work focusing on Network Rail, the owner and monopoly provider of the national rail network, including track, signalling and stations. Network Rail does not face normal commercial pressures from investors and lenders to improve efficiency as it is a not-for-dividend company without shareholders, financed by debt guaranteed by the Government. It is therefore the role of the Regulator to hold Network Rail to account for its performance and to incentivise it to become more efficient. The Regulator sets efficiency targets when it determines the limits on fees Network Rail can charge train operators for use of tracks, stations and depots. Sir Roy McNulty's recent review of the rail industry showed that the rail industry continued to fail to achieve effective value for money. The Committee states that the Regulator did not exert sufficient pressure on Network Rail to improve its efficiency, and that there is an absence of effective sanctions for under-performance in the system and should enforce a stronger link between performance and bonus payments to Network Rail's senior managers. The relationship between Network Rail, the Regulator and their advisors appears to the Committee to be too cosy. Network Rail should be more accountable for its use of public money, and more transparent in its operations. The Committee sets out 11 conclusions and recommendations.

Railway Safety Principles and Guidance

Railway Safety Principles and Guidance PDF

Author: Great Britain. Health and Safety Executive

Publisher:

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13: 9780717609512

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Contents: Introduction; Integrating the tramway; Tramway clearances; The infrastructure; Tramstops; Electric Traction System (ETS); Signalling; Tram design and construction; Tramway signs for tram drivers; Road and tram traffic signalling integration; Heritage tramways; Non-passenger carrying trams; Common terms; Registration.

Regulating Network Rail's efficiency

Regulating Network Rail's efficiency PDF

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-04

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9780102969658

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Limitations in Network Rail's information on its own costs are hampering the ability of the Office of Rail Regulation (the Regulator) to judge the genuineness of the efficiency savings reported by Network Rail. This report acknowledges that the Regulator has significantly developed the methods it uses to judge efficiency. Its targets have demanded substantial improvements from Network Rail. Network Rail has made efficiency savings of 27 per cent in the five years to 2008-09, equivalent to £1.8 billion in that final year. This was below the Regulator's target of 31 per cent, although this was still an achievement when compared to savings in other regulated industries. The Regulator has determined that substantial scope remains for Network Rail to improve its efficiency, estimating that maintenance and renewal activities were 34 per cent to 40 per cent less efficient than the most efficient European rail infrastructure managers in 2008. The Regulator estimates that Network Rail can achieve further efficiency savings of 21 per cent in the five years to March 2014 - equivalent to spending £940 million less in 2013-14 than the forecast for that year without efficiency gains. However, there are continuing limitations in the robustness and coverage of Network Rail's unit cost information. These need to be addressed promptly to improve confidence that future efficiency targets accurately reflect Network Rail's potential for sustainable savings, as the efficiency gap narrows, and that reported savings correctly reflect efficiency gains actually achieved.

Increasing passenger rail capacity

Increasing passenger rail capacity PDF

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2010-06-04

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9780102965230

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This report points out that the Department for Transport's latest plans for increasing rail capacity would not deliver as much extra capacity as originally specified, although the taxpayer would have provided nearly as much financial support (£1.2 billion over the period 2009-14) to train companies as originally envisaged. Value for money is also at risk because costs, particularly of rail carriages, have risen at the same time as the recession has reduced the Department's projections of demand. Against this background, the Department has reviewed each individual scheme before entering into contract to ensure that it still offers value for money. By March 2010, the Department had secured use of 526 extra carriages, with a further 106 ordered and due to be ready for operation by 2012. Capacity is now expected for 99,000 extra passengers into London in the morning peak (between 07:00 and 09:59), 15 per cent fewer than originally envisaged, and 25,500 extra passengers into other English cities, 33 per cent fewer. Passenger Transport Executives in the North of England - local government bodies responsible for the public transport in major cities - feel that their expectations for increased capacity in their area have not been met. In 2007 the DfT published a thirty-year strategy which set aside £9 billion for capacity increases. Within this, £7 billion was allocated to Network Rail. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) scrutinised Network Rail's plans to but the level of cost detail available to ORR restricts its ability to judge or evaluate.

Handbook on Railway Regulation

Handbook on Railway Regulation PDF

Author: Matthias Finger

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2020-09-25

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 1789901782

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Taking a global approach, this insightful Handbook brings together leading researchers to provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in railway regulation with a particular focus on countries that rely heavily on railways for transportation links. The Handbook also considers the most pressing issues for those working in and with railway systems, and outlines future trends in the development of rail globally.

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