Network Rail told to plough £1bn more into repairs

NETWORK Rail has been ordered to spend an extra £1billion on replacing ‘worn out’ tracks and signals to cut the number of delayed trains.

The Office of Rail and Road, an independent regulator, has told it to reallocate its five-year £34billion budget so it spends more on infrastructure, and less on research and development.

Network Rail, which is publicly owned, was also instructed to make savings and sell off extra property such as railway arches to fund improvements.

The regulator demanded better timetabling following the introduction of new schedules on May 20 that caused chaos for passengers across Britain.

The backlash against Network Rail intensified over the weekend after it was announced that its £820,000-a-year boss Mark Carne had been awarded a CBE.

Responding to the regulator’s verdict, Mr Carne, who retires later this year, said it was an ‘important step in the process to finalise our plans to deliver a safe, reliable, improving and growing railway in the five years to 2024’.

He added: ‘We welcome the regulator’s general support for our plans for Britain’s railways, delivering a more reliable service that passengers can rely on.’

Anthony Smith, of the watchdog Transport Focus, said of the timetable meltdown: ‘We’ve heard from people who have been unable to get into work, a heavily pregnant woman stuck on a coach for hours, someone unable to visit their elderly parent – all because they are unable to rely on the train.’