Government identifies potential £1 bn of rail industry savings

Date: 8/12/2010

Some £1 billion in potential rail industry savings has been identified by the government in a review of current operations.

A shake-up of this transport system could lead to more efficient service, as well as a considerable amount of money left over.

Transport Minister Philip Hammond announced yesterday (December 7th) that Sir Roy McNulty - commissioned to evaluate value for money in the industry - has identified several potential areas for change.

According to Mr Hammond, the alterations would see Network Rail become more focused on what consumers want rather than what regulations demand.

"We will also continue to develop changes to the rail franchising system to make franchises longer, more flexible, more responsive to the needs of passengers and more efficient," he added.

On November 25th the government pledged to deliver 2,100 new rail carriages by 2019 in plans to modernise Britain's railways, tackle overcrowding, improve reliability and speed up journeys.

Posted by Mary Treen