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8 October 2002
ORR/17/02
The Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, today welcomed the appointment by Railtrack of Halcrow Group Ltd and Mouchel Consulting Ltd as railway reporters. The two companies will provide the Rail Regulator with an independent view on the accuracy and significance of the data that Network Rail collects as part of the monitoring of its stewardship of the rail network. They will advise on the robustness of data and information provided, and on the quality of the process by which it has been compiled. The reporters will also provide an assessment of the underlying significance of data and information for the management, efficient operation, renewal, replacement, enhancement and development of the network. The reporters will have access to Network Rail and its staff.
Setting out his reasons for the appointment of reporters, Tom Winsor said:
Reporters will provide an independent and reliable assessment of the robustness of the information produced by Network Rail, giving early identification of problem areas and providing more detailed analysis of specific issues without the need for potentially expensive and disruptive ad hoc enquiries.
Halcrow and Mouchel have been appointed railway reporters for a period of three years. They owe a duty of care to the Rail Regulator and the Regulator is a party to the contractual agreement setting out what the reporters will do and how they will do it. Both companies will be paid for their reporting services by Network Rail.
Reporters have been appointed in other utility sectors, such as water, for some time and are a familiar and useful part of the system of accountability of regulated companies. Proposals for the appointment of independent reporters were included in the conclusions on the incentive framework in the periodic review of Railtrack's access charges in 2000.
There was widespread support for the proposal from the industry following consultation on a formal notice of a proposed modification to Railtrack's network licence in 2001. The modification of the licence adding Condition 23: Appointment and Role of Reporters was confirmed in April 2001.
The reporters will focus initially on: -
the accuracy of the data provided by Network Rail in its 2002 annual return and the validity of the process by which this data has been produced;
- a comparison of the annual return against the base assumptions in the periodic review;
- the adequacy of Network Rail's plans for the development of an asset register; and
- the accuracy and completeness of progress reports supplied by Network Rail relating to the modernisation of the West Coast Mainline.
Notes: - The periodic review of Railtracks access charges: provisional conclusions on revenue requirements. ORR, December 1999
- The periodic review of Railtracks access charges: draft conclusions. ORR, July 2000
- Notice of proposed modifications to Railtracks network licence: reporter, regulatory accounts and annual return. ORR, March 2001
These documents are available from the ORR website and from the ORR Librarian, Sue MacSwan, 1 Waterhouse Square, 138-142 Holborn, London EC1N 2TQ, tel: 020 7282 2001, fax: 020 7282 2045, e-mail: rail-library@orr.gsi.gov.uk.
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