“Unfortunately, the upgrade seems to have provided only a temporary solution, as the line is already overcrowded at peak times.  The Department for Transport and Network Rail must look at every reasonable option to increase capacity and minimise disruption”. 

“Simply telling commuters who pay £5,000 a year for season tickets to accept that they may not get a seat is not good enough”. 

Mr Bacon was speaking as the Commons public accounts committee published its report on the West Coast Main Line.  Former rail infrastructure owners Railtrack agreed to upgrade the busy but aging West Coast Main Line in 1998.  However, the report finds that Railtrack’s original aim to upgrade the line in two phases, in 2002 and 2005, using untried signalling technology, proved overly ambitious and the programme quickly ran into difficulty.  Railtrack’s estimates of cost increased rapidly, contributing to a financial crisis for Railtrack which went into administration in October 2001.

In early 2002, the Strategic Rail Authority intervened to take the programme forward, with Network Rail taking over from Railtrack in October 2002.  Modernisation of the line is likely to cost around £8.6 billion, £6 billion more than forecast in 1998. Network Rail has improved control over costs but expects to spend £300 million more than the £3 billion allocated by the Rail Regulator for the period 2004-08. The line is still prone to overcrowding on peak services and is likely to require further investment to accommodate predicted future growth in passenger numbers.

14 June 2007

See also:
PAC REPORT: The Modernisation of the West Coast Main Line