UK rail investment

Network Rail has given the green light for a multi-billion pound investment in the UK’s rail infrastructure over the next five years.

The rail operator today accepted the Office of Rail Regulation’s (ORR) £28.5bn spending budget, which will come into operation from 1 April 2009 and will continue to 31 March 2014.

The budget includes a £10bn spend on day-to-day maintenance and the costs of operating and running the network and a £10.8bn investment in replacing older parts of the network such as signalling and bridges.

An additional £7.6bn will be invested by Network Rail on projects that will tackle overcrowding by lengthening platforms and increasing capacity.

Iain Coucher, chief executive of Network Rail, said: ‘The next five years will see unprecedented investment in expanding the network and improving services for passenger and freight users.