Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118502, what the estimates used by his Department as determined by the Office of the Rail Regulator for the current control period are.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Full track access charges are published by Network Rail on the following website:
The difference between the average maintenance cost per mile of track applied by Network Rail to franchisees operating electric trains and bi-mode trains for the control period in question indicated that track maintenance costs were expected to be approximately 11-12% higher than electric trains of the same design.
The final track access charges relating to the Intercity Express Programme trains will be published by Network Rail in due course.
Whilst heavier than the electric Intercity Express Programme trains the bi-modes are still lighter than the High Speed Trains they are replacing which means less track wear and damage with lower operating costs – a benefit to the taxpayer.
Through the use of bi-modes we can improve journeys for passengers sooner and reduce the need for as much disruptive engineering work.