Our Vision for the Future

We want Britain’s railway to be world-class – a source of pride for the whole country.  It is already a popular service with high passenger satisfaction levels and record levels of passenger and freight demand.  We want to continue to meet this demand in the future.  

We want to continue to raise the bar on train performance.  We aim to transport more passengers, move more freight, improve safety and reduce delays – all at a reduced cost.

Building on our progress 

Year on year, we are:

• Improving train punctuality - train punctuality has now reached the highest level in recorded history
• Reducing broken rails - we now have the lowest annual total ever at 163 for 2008/09.
• Reducing the annual running cost of the railway infrastructure.

Also, through our Route Utilisation Strategies (RUS), we are looking to grow the rail network where passenger and freight demand requires.

Planning for the future

Network Rail published its latest 10 year Business Plan in April 2007. The Plan covers the next ten years but focuses on the activities for the next five years. This provides a detailed blueprint for improving performance and reducing costs through a huge programme of activities. 

In March 2009, Network Rail published its Delivery Plan for 2009 to 2014, which details a £10 billion programme of investment in the railway, including major projects such as Thameslink, as well as the redevelopment of Reading, Birmingham New Street and Kings Cross and thousands of other schemes across Britain.

In May 2009, the industry published ‘Planning Ahead’, the first document in a series that will set out a vision for the railway in thirty or forty years, so that planning for the future is consistent with a long term strategic vision that meets the needs of everyone who uses the railway.