UK - Vow to reduce rail replacement buses
Posted: 22 Apr 2009, 08:55
Vow to reduce rail replacement buses
By Robert Wright, Transport Correspondent
Published: April 22 2009 03:00 | Last updated: April 22 2009 03:00
Buses will in future be a last resort to take rail passengers round engineering work, the chief executive of Network Rail will promise today.
In a speech to a conference organised by Passenger Focus, the passenger lobby group, Iain Coucher Network Railwill promise to provide more diversionary routes and install extra tracks to let trains run during maintenance and upgrade work.
The substitution of trains by buses - known as "bus-titution" - has long been an irritant to the passenger lobby group.
Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus's chief executive, said passengers would be delighted that Network Rail, which owns Britain's rail network, was making sure operators could run trains even during engineering work.
Mr Coucher's promise is part of a long-planned programme to ensure trains can run seven days a week, with far less disruption at weekends. Network Rail is receiving extra funding over the five year starting from April 1 to improve the network's availability.
The programme is a challenge, however, because engineering work can be carried out far more effectively during prolonged weekend line closures than during the few hours available at night.
Mr Coucher will undertake in his speech to move towards shorter engineering-related closures, so that passengers do not even know work has taken place.
"We'll look at every opportunity we can to get trains through our worksites by keeping lines open - and if we need to and we can, we'll put in new crossovers to help us do this," he will say. "We'll also make more use of diversions - getting passengers round our work - on a train and not a bus."
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
By Robert Wright, Transport Correspondent
Published: April 22 2009 03:00 | Last updated: April 22 2009 03:00
Buses will in future be a last resort to take rail passengers round engineering work, the chief executive of Network Rail will promise today.
In a speech to a conference organised by Passenger Focus, the passenger lobby group, Iain Coucher Network Railwill promise to provide more diversionary routes and install extra tracks to let trains run during maintenance and upgrade work.
The substitution of trains by buses - known as "bus-titution" - has long been an irritant to the passenger lobby group.
Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus's chief executive, said passengers would be delighted that Network Rail, which owns Britain's rail network, was making sure operators could run trains even during engineering work.
Mr Coucher's promise is part of a long-planned programme to ensure trains can run seven days a week, with far less disruption at weekends. Network Rail is receiving extra funding over the five year starting from April 1 to improve the network's availability.
The programme is a challenge, however, because engineering work can be carried out far more effectively during prolonged weekend line closures than during the few hours available at night.
Mr Coucher will undertake in his speech to move towards shorter engineering-related closures, so that passengers do not even know work has taken place.
"We'll look at every opportunity we can to get trains through our worksites by keeping lines open - and if we need to and we can, we'll put in new crossovers to help us do this," he will say. "We'll also make more use of diversions - getting passengers round our work - on a train and not a bus."
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009