| Network Rail | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Company limited by guarantee |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | |
| Key people | Sir Ian McAllister, Chairman Iain Coucher Chief Executive Peter Henderson – Group Infrastructure Director Ron Henderson - Group Finance Director |
| Industry | Railway infrastructure provision |
| Revenue | £5. In British or Irish Company law, a company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of Corporation used primarily for Non-profit See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Sir Ian Gerald McAllister CBE (born 1943 is a Scottish businessman Iain Coucher (b1962 Yorkshire is Chief Executive of Network Rail, which he became in July 2007 following the retirement of Chief Executive John Armitt. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency 8 Billion (2007)[1] |
| Employees | 32,000 |
| Website | www.networkrail.co.uk |
Network Rail is a British "not for dividend" company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In British or Irish Company law, a company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of Corporation used primarily for Non-profit Network Rail owns and operates the fixed infrastructure assets of the British railway system.
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Network Rail owns the infrastructure, including the railway tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and most stations, but not the passenger or commercial freight rolling stock. Railway signalling is a system used to control Railway traffic safely essentially to prevent Trains from colliding. A tunnel is an underground passageway The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water The term level crossing (also called a railroad crossing, road through railroad, railway crossing, train crossing or grade crossing |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains Rolling Stock was a Newspaper of ideas and a chronicle of the 1980s published in Boulder, Colorado Network Rail took over ownership by buying Railtrack plc, which was in "railway administration", from Railtrack Group plc for £500 million. For the generic term see Rail tracks. Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, Tunnels The purchase was completed on 3 October 2002. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.
The company's headquarters is at 40 Melton Street, Euston, London. The current Chairman is Sir Ian McAllister, also Chairman of the Carbon Trust and formerly Managing Director of Ford Motor Company Limited. Sir Ian Gerald McAllister CBE (born 1943 is a Scottish businessman The Carbon Trust is a not for Dividend Company limited by guarantee created by the UK government to help businesses and public organisations Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Its chief executive is Iain Coucher. Its executive board is small.
Following an initial period in which Network Rail established itself and demonstrated its competence in addressing the principal challenges of improving asset condition, reducing unit costs and tackling delay, the Government’s Rail Review in 2004 White Paper said that Network Rail should be given responsibility for whole-industry performance reporting, timetable development, specification of small and medium network enhancements, and the delivery of route-specific utilisation strategies (RUS). Some of these are functions which Network Rail already had; others - such as the obligation to devise route utilisation strategies - were transferred to Network Rail from the Strategic Rail Authority, a non-departmental public body, part of the UK government. Network Rail has an obligation transferred from the abolished Strategic Rail Authority, to produce Route Utilisation Strategies (RUS In existence from from 2001 to 2006 the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 (The SRA was subsequently abolished. )
Network Rail also secured a 15-year lease on Square One in Manchester, moving and recruiting 800 staff to one of Manchester's largest refurbished office spaces[2].
The Government denies that they have nationalised the rail network in order to prevent Railtrack's shareholders claiming the four year average price of Railtrack, about £10 per share, via the European Court of Human Rights. Simon Jenkins, former editor of the Times, wrote in a Times article about the Railtrack High Court case and Gordon Brown's aide, Baroness Shriti Vadera. “Can we engineer the solution through insolvency,” she e-mails Stephen Byers in July, “and therefore avoid compensation under the Human Rights Act. ” http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2001/jul/30/transport.Whitehall http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article544925.ece
There has been considerable controversy over whether Network Rail is a public-sector or a private-sector entity. Although officially a private sector organisation, the fact that its debts are underwritten by the government, and it is funded by the government, has led to it being described as being "nationalisation in all but name"[3]. It is also claimed that the government is keen for Network Rail not to be classified as a public sector organisation, as this would mean that the company's enormous debts (over £20 billion) would be counted as public expenditure liabilities.
The National Audit Office and the Statistics Commission both agree that Network Rail is a state owned company. The Office for National Statistics has repeatedly clashed with the National Audit Office and the Statistics Commission over whether the successor to Railtrack should be considered a private company - as the ONS believes - or included on the Government's books, as the NAO argues. The NAO says that as the Government is bearing the risk that would normally be borne by equity capital, and as it can appoint, through the SRA, a director who cannot not be removed by members, Network Rail is effectively a subsidiary of the Government-controlled SRA. The Statistics Commission, set up by the Government to ensure that statistics are trustworthy, is known to question the basis of the ONS judgment that Government guarantees given to Network Rail are unlikely to be called in. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2002/11/19/cnrail19.xml&sSheet=/money/2002/11/19/ixcity.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=104852 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fmoney%2F2002%2F11%2F01%2Fcnrail01.xml.
The UK Office for National Statistics insists that it is correct to have classified Network Rail as in the private sector. The Office for National Statistics (ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly Nethertheless some mistakes in referencing the company as a public sector entity are occasionally made; in October 2002 in the House of Lords government minister Lord McIntosh of Haringey, in answering a question, said: “The Question is about the West Coast main line, and it is true that the cost has escalated from a little over £2 billion to £10 billion. That shows incredible lack of control and forethought by Railtrack. We must get a grip of it, and we are getting a grip of it. However, we were able to get a grip of it only after it went into administration and we were able to take the company back again. ” [Italics added] (House of Lords, Official Report, 17 October 2002, Cols 953-956). Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. In the House of Commons on 24 October 2005, the former Secretary of State for Transport Stephen Byers MP said: ". Stephen John Byers (born 13 April 1953) is a British Politician. . . I make no apology for . . . unwinding the Tory privatisation that was Railtrack" (House of Commons, Official Report, 24 October 2005, Col 66). Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. And on 1 February 2007, the Leader of the House of Commons (Jack Straw) said: ". Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen . . rail privatisation . . . was one of the most catastrophic reorganisations, which we have had to resolve, and having done that — [Interruption. ] The hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone) may mock, but we brought Network Rail into public ownership . . . " [Italics added] (House of Commons, Official Report, 1 February 2007, Col 363). Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen
The company is accountable to a body of Members through its corporate constitution, to its commercial train operator customers through its contracts with them (the contracts are subject to regulatory oversight), and to the public interest through the statutory powers of the Office of Rail Regulation.
Since Network Rail does not have shareholders, its members hold the Board of Directors to account for their management of the business. Members are appointed by an independent panel and serve a three-year term. They have a number of statutory rights and duties which include attending annual general meetings, receiving the Annual Report and Accounts, and approving the appointment or re-appointment of Network Rail’s directors. Members have a duty to act in the best interests of the company without personal bias. They receive no payments other than travel expenses.
Members have clearly defined and limited powers; they do not run the company. Setting the strategic direction and the day-to-day management of Network Rail is the responsibility of the company’s Board of Directors. That direction must be consistent with the regulatory jurisdiction of the Office of Rail Regulation, and with the requirements of its contracts. The Office of Rail Regulation in turn operates within the overall transport policy set by the UK Department for Transport, including as to what the Government wants the railway industry to achieve and how much money the Government is prepared to put into the industry. In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport (or DfT) ( Welsh: Adran am Drafnidiaeth) is the government department This means that the degree of Government influence and control over the company is higher than it was before these enlargements of the powers and role of the Government were introduced by the Railways Act 2005. The Railways Act 2005 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament concerning the regulatory structure for Railways in the United Kingdom
At any one time there are around 100 members in total, drawn from a wide range of industry partners and members of the public. There are two general categories of membership, industry members comprising any organisation holding a licence to operate on the railway or preferred bidder for a railway franchise, and public members who are drawn from the wider stakeholder community.
Network Rail's main customers are the 21 passenger and four freight train operating companies, who provide train services on the infrastructure that the company owns and maintains. Network Rail does not run passenger services directly; ultimately both Network Rail and the train operating companies have the shared responsibility of delivering train services to the travelling public.
The Office of Rail Regulation monitors Network Rail's performance on a continuous basis against targets established by the regulatory authority in the most recent access charges review (2003), against obligations in the company's network licence and against forecasts in its own business plan. If performance is poor,the company will face criticism and possible enforcement action from its commercial customers (undertheir contracts) and from the Office of Rail Regulation (enforcing the company's network licence). It may also be criticised by its members in general meeting.
In the end of year report 2005/06, the ORR reported on train performance that: "Train Performance: Good progress has been made in improving punctuality. The Public Performance Measure (PPM) of 86. 4% in the year is up from 85. 5% (refreshed) at the end of the third quarter (Q3) and up from 83. 6% last year. " Network Rail Monitor, Executive Summary
Profit 1. For the first time in Network Rail's history a profit was made this year- allowing money to be reinvested into the network. 2. Train punctuality is at a seven year high. 3. Passenger numbers are at an all time high
Network Rail should not be confused with National Rail. National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC National Rail is a brand used to explain and promote a network of passenger railway services.
The two networks are very similar, but not exactly the same. Most Network Rail lines also carry freight traffic, some lines are freight only, and a few lines that carry passenger traffic are not part of the National Rail network (for example High Speed 1, Heathrow Express and the London Underground). Heathrow Express is a Train service from Heathrow Airport to Paddington in Central London operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire Conversely some National Rail services operate over track that is not part of the Network Rail network (for example where they run on London Underground track).
In October 2003 Network Rail announced that it would take over all infrastructure maintenance work from private contractors, following concerns about the quality of work carried out by certain private firms, and spiralling costs. The British Rail Class 43 is the classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars built by BREL from 1976 to 1982 The Network Rail New Measurement Train (NMT assesses the condition of track so that engineers can determine where to work For the Harry Potter character see John Dawlish Dawlish (ˈdɔːlɪʃ is a Town on the south coast of Devon Norwood Junction railway station (originally called Jolly Sailor) is in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Croydon is a large town and major commercial centre in South London, and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. October 2003: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August -
February 2004 saw the opening of an operations centre at Waterloo station in London, operated jointly by Network Rail and the train operating company South West Trains. South West Trains ( SWT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing Train services to the south-west of London chiefly This was the first full collaboration of its kind since privatisation, and it is regarded as a model for other areas of the network, with a further six integrated Network Rail + TOC Control Centres having opened since then, at Blackfriars, Croydon (Leading Control for First Capital Connect), Swindon, Birmingham, Glasgow and, most recently, Liverpool Street. London Blackfriars station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the City of London. Swindon railway station is in the town of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Birmingham New Street is a major railway station located in the centre of the city of Birmingham, England. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom Liverpool Street station, also called London Liverpool Street, is a major railway station and connected London Underground station in the north eastern
Track renewal, the ongoing modernisation of the railway network by replacing track and signalling, continues to be carried out by private engineering firms under contract. The biggest renewals project is the multi-billion-pound upgrade of the London to Glasgow West Coast Main Line. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Glasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line Railway terminals in Glasgow, Scotland, and is managed by Network Rail. The West Coast Main Line (WCML is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom.
Network Rail initially sub-contracted much of the work and the site to private Infrastructure Maintenance Companies such as Carillion and First Engineering. Carillion plc ( is a British -based construction-services business headquartered in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. Other sub-contractors are used on site for specialist work or additional labour. These include:
Since 2003 Network Rail has been building up significant in-house engineering skills, including funding of apprenticeship and foundation degree schemes. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Network Rail reports significant savings resulting from the initial transfers of work away from contracting companies. Additional contracts were taken back by Network Rail after the serious accident at Potters Bar and other accidents at Rotherham and King's Cross led Jarvis to pull out of the track repair business. There have been at least two railway accidents in Potters Bar, a town in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, just north of Greater London. Shortly after this, and due to other failures by maintenance companies, Network Rail took control of many more maintenance duties.
In 2006, Network Rail made public a high-tech plan to combat the effects of slippery rail. Slippery rail is an adverse condition of railroads caused by fallen moist leaves that lie on and cling to the top surface of the rails of Railroad tracks This plan involves the use of satellites for tracking trouble areas, water-jetting trains and crews using railhead scrubbers, sand sticks and a substance called Natrusolve, which dissolves leaf mulch. [4]
All workers working on, near or trackside have to undergo a Personal Track Safety assessment (re-assessed every two years). A Personal Track Safety (PTS Certificate is required before anybody is allowed to work within the boundary of Network Rail tracks in the UK
The safety record of the company has been marred by the Grayrigg derailment, when a Virgin express crashed at Grayrigg in Cumbria on 23 February 2007. The Grayrigg derailment was a fatal railway accident that occurred at approximately 2015 GMT on 23 February 2007 just to the south of Grayrigg, Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The train was derailed by a faulty set of points. Network Rail have admitted responsibility for the accident. The RAIB investigation is ongoing, and criminal charges may be brought. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is a government agency that became operational on 17 October 2005.
In September 2007 it was announced that the number of track renewal contractors will be reduced to four from the current six. These are now
In April 2007, Network Rail published its Business Plan[5] complete with route maps showing the entire network divided into 26 Strategic "Routes", which in most cases might be more accurately described as geographical areas. They are as follows:
Network Rail owns more than 2500 railway stations on the national rail network. Management and operation of most of them is carried out by the principal train operating company serving that station, but Network Rail manages and operates 18 of the largest and busiest stations directly. There are a number of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom. [6] The Network Rail-managed stations are:
| Title | Person | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive | Iain Coucher | On 2006-12-12, John Armitt announced that he would retire as Chief Executive of Network Rail at the end of July 2007. London Bridge station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Southwark, which occupies a large area on two levels immediately Cannon Street is a National Rail and London Underground station complex in the City of London, the financial district of London in Charing Cross railway station is a central London railway terminus Euston station (official name London Euston) is a major Railway station to the north of central London in the London Borough of Camden Fenchurch Street is a railway station in the south eastern corner of the City of London close by the Tower of London and two miles (3 King's Cross station is a major railway terminus opened in 1852 Liverpool Street station, also called London Liverpool Street, is a major railway station and connected London Underground station in the north eastern London Paddington station, also known as London Paddington, or just simply Paddington, is a major National Rail and London Underground station St Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the St Pancras area of Central London between the British Library and King's Cross London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. Birmingham New Street is a major railway station located in the centre of the city of Birmingham, England. Edinburgh Waverley railway station, commonly referred to as just " Waverley " locally is the main Railway station in the Scottish capital Gatwick Airport station is the railway station at Gatwick Airport that provides a direct rail connection to London 43 km (26¾ miles away Glasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line Railway terminals in Glasgow, Scotland, and is managed by Network Rail. Leeds railway station (often known by its official name Leeds City) is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is a mainline and underground Railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England Manchester Piccadilly station, known locally as just Piccadilly, is the principal railway station of Manchester in England. Iain Coucher (b1962 Yorkshire is Chief Executive of Network Rail, which he became in July 2007 following the retirement of Chief Executive John Armitt. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian John Armitt, CBE, is the appointed Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the body charged with building the venues facilities and infrastructure for the Iain Coucher was the previous deputy chief executive. [8][9] |
| Group Infrastructure Director | Peter Henderson | |
| Group Finance Director | Ron Henderson |
Peter Henderson and Ron Henderson are not related.
| Title | Person | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Group Company Secretary | Hazel Walker[10] | |
| Group Director, Government and Corporate Affairs | Victoria Pender[11] | |
| Director, Planning and Regulation | Paul Plummer[12] | |
| Director, Safety & Compliance | Julian Lindfield[13] |
Network Rail has several training and development sites around Britain. These include sites in Newcastle and Larbert which provide refresher courses, and train staff in new equipment. Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England Larbert is a small town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. Advanced Apprentice Scheme trainees are trained at HMS Sultan in Gosport, using Royal Navy facilities. A number of ships and bases of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Sultan. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Network Rail bought a residential centre from Cable and Wireless in the Westwood Business Centre near Coventry for leadership development. Cable & Wireless ( is a British Telecommunications company In the mid-1980s it became the first company in the UK to offer an alternative Telephone Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. The company and other industry partners such as Grant Rail and Balfour Beatty, also operate a Foundation Degree in conjunction with Sheffield Hallam University.
In 2008, Network rail will pilot its first qualification in "track engineering". It has been given permission to develop courses equivalent to GCSE and A-levels. [1]