Rail Regulator publishes guide to model passenger track access contract

29 June 2004
ORR/26/04

The Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, has today published a guide to the model passenger track access contract – the main contract which covers the relationship between passenger train operators and Network Rail.  The guide describes the key provisions of the model contract in simple terms and should be helpful to all those in the industry who use contracts based on the model contract, or who will do so in future.

The model contract is stronger, simpler and more streamlined than the track access contracts used at rail privatisation and sets out as clearly as possible the obligations of the parties to each other, and what should happen when things go wrong.  It now forms the basis of around half of the track access contracts between passenger train operators and Network Rail.

The guide published today is intended to put the model contract into the context of the regulatory and contractual structure of the industry and to explain its key provisions.  The guide is relatively short because the model contract was drafted to be as simple as possible for non-lawyers to understand. 

Notes to Editors:

1. Guide to the passenger model contract is also available 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:  mailto:rail.library@orr.gsi.gov.uk.
2. Model passenger track access contract (latest version) was originally published by the Office of the Rail Regulator on 25 June 2003 and has been updated twice since then.  The current version, on which the guide is based, is also available as above. 

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