The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has set out its regulatory expectations of future agreements between rail industry ‘alliances’.
Network Rail and train operators are developing plans to form alliances with the aim of ‘delivering a better service for passengers at a lower cost’.
The ORR said it will ‘ensure that alliances do not disadvantage other customers of Network Rail, and that there is no loss of clarity about responsibilities, in particular for the safety of workers and passengers’.
ORR chief executive Richard Price said:
“I am delighted to see the rail industry innovating to improve our railways. The development of alliances will act as a spur to both greater customer satisfaction and efficiency.
“ORR is here to protect the interests of passengers and taxpayers, and we understand that the rail industry needs clarity from us about our approach so it can get on with the job of implementing agreements.”
Paul Plummer, Network Rail’s group strategy director, said:
“Network Rail is committed to bringing down barriers to greater co-operation in the rail industry. By alliancing, we can work more efficiently with ultimate benefits to the taxpayer, passengers and freight users.”
