Vehicle and route acceptance
Over recent years the railway industry has had a number of well-publicised problems with the timely and efficient acceptance and introduction of new trains to operate on Network Rail’s network. Considerable difficulties needed to be surmounted in terms of lack of asset knowledge, poor flows of information and complex processes.
Whilst the rate of introduction of new rolling stock is likely to be much less in future years it is important that the lessons of the past few years are captured and codified. In particular, there is a need for a much firmer basis for the relationship between the various parties in the process.
On 1 July 2004, the ORR published proposed model clauses for bi-lateral vehicle and route acceptance contracts between Network Rail and rolling stock manufacturers (see right). This followed up the consultation document, Vehicle and route acceptance procedures: a consultation document (see right) published on 22 March 2001, concerning the sufficiency of Railtrack's processes for the approval of new rolling stock, the ways in which they were being operated in practice and how they might be improved.
The proposed VRAC, which is based on the contracts that were entered into in 1998 by Virgin Trains and Railtrack covering the development of new trains for West Coast Main Line and CrossCountry routes, is intended to:
- place clearer, more specific and stronger obligations on Network Rail and those seeking vehicle and route acceptance in respect of quality of information, and the efficiency, competence and timeliness of the process
- provide appropriate enforcement mechanisms, remedies and liability arrangements when obligations are not met
- give a direct contractual locus to rolling stock manufacturers.
In relation to the availability of information, in April 2001 the ORR modified Railtrack's network licence requiring it to establish and maintain a comprehensive and reliable database of its assets, their condition, capacity and capability.
