Home > Publications > Advice to ministers

Periodic review 2013: Advice to ministers and requirements for Network Rail’s strategic business plan

On 15 March 2012, we wrote separately to the Scottish Ministers and the Secretary of State for Transport with our advice on Network Rail’s costs and outputs for control period  5 (‘CP5’), which we expect to run from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2019.

The purpose of our advice was to inform the decisions that the Scottish Ministers and the Secretary of State will make on what they want the railways to achieve in CP5 and the public funds required to deliver this. These decisions will be set out in the ‘high-level output specification’ (HLOS) and ‘statement of funds available’ which both the Scottish Ministers and Secretary of State will publish by 31 July 2012.

Advice to ministers documents and accompanying letters

Requirements for Network Rail’s strategic business plan

After HLOSs and SoFAs are issued, Network Rail will begin producing its strategic business plan (SBP). The SBP effectively sets out Network Rail’s proposals for delivering the high-level outputs that the two governments require to be delivered along with the cost for these. The SBP is due by 7 January 2013 and will be Network Rail’s final submission to us before our draft determination in June 2013.

Given how important the SBP is to the PR13 process, at the same time we published our advice to ministers we issued Network Rail with requirements for the content of the SBP.

Review initiation notice

This notice sets out our proposal to undertake an access charges review under paragraph 1C of schedule 4A to the Railways Act 1993. This initiates the formal legal process for the 2013 periodic review.