Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported £243 million underspend by Network Rail as reported by the Office of Rail and Road, and what plans they have to allow Network Rail to spend some of this underspend in investment in new or upgraded rail infrastructure.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reported in its Annual Efficiency and Finance report that Network Rail financially underperformed by £243 million during 2024/25. This represented an increase in costs driven largely by inflationary pressure, higher maintenance and poor train performance. There are arrangements in place to allow Network Rail to manage overspends and underspends across its five-year funding periods. Network Rail is working to improve its financial performance in the current financial year.