The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is proud of its leadership role in rehabilitating Britain's railway - for passengers, freight customers and taxpayers.
The Strategic Rail Authority staff's specialist skills have delivered the means by which Britain's railway has, at last, begun to be properly delivered:
West Coast Route Modernisation: cost cut from £13.5 billion to £7.6 billion; while delivering faster journey times, more frequent services, better performance and reliability.
Franchising: a new model bringing stability, clarity and certainty for the industry, investors and passengers. Costs of franchising are under control, delivering improved performance for passengers and value for taxpayers.
Southern Region New Trains Programme: a plan for delivering 2,000 new vehicles for passengers, rescued from chaos; almost half now in passenger service.
Performance: the SRA has played a key role in resolving some of the mess the industry got itself into - with major performance improvement by several train operating companies.
Skills: development of the framework for skills for the rail industry.
Technical leadership: promoting joined up thinking across technical interfaces as well as ensuring a realistic, deliverable and affordable approach is taken to technical standards, new safety systems and the whole European harmonisation agenda.
There are many other achievements too as a result of the work of the SRA team over the last two and a half years, changes that have already made a difference to passengers, to freight customers and taxpayers.
All of this work must continue. The skills and talents of Strategic Rail Authority staff will play a vital role in ensuring that it does.
SRA Chairman, Richard Bowker said:
"Thanks to the skills and dedication of SRA staff, Britain's railway is now rehabilitated and ready for real delivery to passengers and investors alike. There is now stability, clarity and certainty around major projects and train franchising, where before there was drift, doubt and confusion."
"SRA staff should feel proud that their work has proved, beyond doubt, that this can be everyone's railway - passengers' and taxpayers' alike."
The Secretary of State for Transport today announced the conclusions of his review into the rail industry. The Authority made a detailed submission to the Rail Review and has provided the Secretary of State with advice throughout the process.
It is clear from the White Paper published today that much of the detail and implementation of changes to the industry structure and relationships is still to be finalised. The Authority will provide all the necessary support and advice that it can to the Department for Transport and other industry parties in devising and then implementing the detailed transition plan. In particular, the Authority will wish to assist in ensuring that the Department for Transport is properly equipped, skilled and staffed to execute the very challenging public sector client role that has been designated for it. The Authority knows from its successful experience over the past two and a half years that this requires considerable drive, determination, skill and experience. The Authority and the Department for Transport have already begun the very important task of working even more closely together to ensure that this transition is delivered without any loss of focus on the delivery of improvements to Britain's railway.
