UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has announced his railway vision that includes the creation of East West Rail, the first new integrated rail operation in decades that is separate to Network Rail, and the closer alignment of incentives between the management of infrastructure and the operation of train services.
“East West Rail will provide a commuter route for the crucial centres on its route and will provide the transport spine for additional housing and business development in a corridor which is one of the government’s priority areas for the future of our country. The new organisation will work hand in glove with the National Infrastructure Commission as it plans the development of this nationally important transport corridor to identify the best way to deliver the project,” Grayling said.
East West Rail will deliver the design, construction and operation of the missing link between Oxford and Cambridge.
In addition the Secretary of State has announced that he wants to see the rail industry working more closely together to deliver a better service for the passenger. “We want to see closer working across the industry, to resolve problems more quickly – putting the needs of the passenger first. When things go wrong, a lack of a joined up approach can make things much worse for the passenger.”
Plans for better operation of track and train across the rail network will be achieved through new rail franchises. The first of the new franchises to be let will be on the South Eastern and East Midlands lines, which will be expected to include integrated operating teams between train services and infrastructure. The franchises are due to be awarded in 2018.
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