Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the rail network in each of the next five years.

For the next three financial years (2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive) the Department estimates the net cost to the public purse could be c£9bn a year on average, including passenger services, Network Rail’s operations, maintenance and renewal (OMR) and enhancements investment. This net cost is a reduction when compared to previous financial years.

OMR CDEL and RDEL for 2029/30 to 2033/34 will be finalised through the next Periodic Review (PR28), with funding for enhancements and passenger services agreed during future Spending Reviews.