ORR consults on 2008-09 Business Plan
4 December 2007
ORR/33/07
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has today launched a consultation on its 2008/09 business plan.
The consultation will help decide the key priorities in health and safety and economic regulation for April 2008 to March 2009.
Bill Emery, ORR Chief Executive, said: “During the first two years of our present corporate strategy, the railway has continued to develop in positive ways. Safety, performance and efficiency have improved, and we are moving closer to our decisions on access charges and Network Rail’s outputs for the five years from April 2009. Also we have continued to improve our own efficiency and effectiveness as the integrated regulator of Britain’s railways.
“Now we are asking interested parties to tell us the priorities we should be adopting to ensure that improvement in railway services to passengers and freight customers continue throughout 2008-09.”
The coming year will bring the culmination of ORR’s work on the five-yearly periodic review of access charges and the outcomes required from Network Rail. The economic and safety regulator will also continue to assess industry performance and, where necessary, enforce compliance with health and safety law and licence obligations.
Responses to the consultation are sought by Friday 25 January 2008, and ORR expects to publish its business plan in March 2008.
Notes for editors
- Copies of ORR’s draft business plan for consultation are available from: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/bp_business_plan_2008-09_cnsult.pdf.
- ORR’s Corporate Strategy 2006-09 sets out a vision of the railway as: “a successful partnership of Network Rail, operators, suppliers and funders working together to meet the needs of passengers and freight users and deliver a safe, high performing, efficient and developing railway”.
- ORR’s focus, as outlined in the Corporate Strategy 2006-09, is threefold: (i) securing continuous and sustained improvement in safety, performance and customer service; (ii) pursuing relentless improvement in the railway’s efficiency and value for money; (iii) through these and other actions, enabling the railway to grow and develop to meet the requirements of funders and the aspirations of stakeholders.
Press enquiries
ORR Press Office – 020 7282 2188/2007
