Now is the time for the rail industry to deliver, says Chris Bolt

14 March 2007
ORR/07/07

Rail users and government have great expectations of the railways, and now is the time for the industry to show what it can deliver. That was the message from Chris Bolt, Chairman of the Office of Rail Regulation, at today’s National Rail Conference in London.

Comparing the rail industry with what it was three years ago, Chris Bolt said: “Performance and reliability are better; overall passenger satisfaction is high and demand for the transport of goods and passengers is growing fast. Despite the derailment at Grayrigg, safety has improved on a number of key measures.

“The industry now has much greater clarity of what customers of the railways want. They are concerned about value for money, capacity and, increasingly, about the effect of transport on the environment.

“We will also soon have a clarity on what government wants and is prepared to pay for, and its longer term strategy for the railways.”

Chris Bolt also referred to ORR’s Advice to Ministers on funding for Network Rail, issued two weeks ago.

“We have set the process moving that will result in Government announcing, this summer, what it wants the railways to achieve and how much money they want to see going into the network.

“After that, it will be for the industry to respond to this opportunity. It must do all it can to rise to the challenge of meeting growing demand and rising customer expectations. The key challenge is for the rail industry to be more responsive and fleet-of-foot to deliver what users want, and to do so more efficiently.”

Notes for editors:

National Rail Conference 2007 – Securing the Future, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster; Wednesday 14 March.

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