Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on its assessment of levels of track degradation over the next five years.

The Government provided £44.1 billion in December 2022 to fund Network Rail’s operations, maintenance, and renewal activity in Control Period 7 (the next 5-year funding period for Network Rail’s operations, maintenance, and renewals, starting in April 2024). At the time, this was a 4% increase in real terms on the settlement for Control Period 6 when compared on a like-for-like basis.

The independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), has led the 3-year long Periodic Review 2023 process to determine Network Rail’s funding and plans for Control Period 7. During the Periodic Review, the “composite sustainability index” measure (of which track condition is a constituent part) has been a key issue for the Department for Transport. The Secretary of State stated in the 2022 High-Level Output Specification that he expects the overall long-term asset sustainability of the rail network to constitute a central part of Network Rail’s planning for Control Period 7.

The Department for Transport regularly holds meetings with Network Rail to discuss the progress of Periodic Review 2023 and the associated key issues. Network Rail continues to deploy remote monitoring technologies to improve its monitoring of track condition. This includes train-borne devices, which improve efficiency and support greater value for money by extending asset lives, improving asset sustainability, passenger safety and train service reliability.