The UK’s Office of Rail and Road has said Network Rail could become more commercial by a restructuring that would create eight regional businesses, ft.com reports. This would allow Network Rail to focus on its central function of co-ordinating timetables and planning the development of railway tracks, while lowering the annual cost of running the railways, which now stands at £6.3bn (9 billion euros).
Each of the eight separate regional businesses would be based on key routes, with its own profit and loss account, control over its assets and licences to operate. The eight businesses would take on more responsibility for maintenance and renewals and be benchmarked against each other for the first time in a move aimed at encouraging competition.
The ORR is due to consult on proposals for the way it regulates Network Rail and its routes next year.
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