ATOC Director General, George Muir, said : “Passengers know there are no quick fixes, but at last we have a coherent long term plan with proper funding and timescales. The whole industry, train operators, Railtrack and suppliers, will pull together to deliver it.”
Railtrack chief executive, John Armitt said: “Railtrack will play its part and we look forward to working in partnership with the SRA, the train operators, maintenance contractors and other industry partners in helping to make the plan a reality.”
Philip Mengel, EWS Chief Executive, said: “The rail freight industry welcomes the commitment by the SRA to provide the investment for an 80% growth in rail freight, removing an additional seven million lorry journeys off the road network each year.”
Mr Muir, Mr Armitt and Mr Mengel also gave a commitment to passengers and government to deliver the objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan and get Britain’s rail network back on track.
Pointing to one aspect of the plan, Mr Muir was encouraged by the commitment to ‘enhanceable’ franchises. “These franchises will give train operators stability to plan and invest. They will simplify development of major projects - the previous arrangements were too cumbersome. They will also give the SRA control over the quality of delivery and will reduce the risk on train operators from factors they can’t control.”
