Institution responds to Network Rail delays

The Institution's Philippa Oldham says we need an urgent review to get a better understanding as to why costs have escalated and timings missed.

Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to the Network Rail upgrade delays announced today:

“It is disappointing that so much of the vital work needed to upgrade the UK rail network is being delayed.

“Passenger numbers continue to rise and we need to address the fact that we need much more rail transport capacity. The UK Government needs to drive a step change to revitalise the country’s rail network.

“An urgent review is needed to get a better understanding as to why costs have escalated and timings missed. Government needs to press ahead not just with these upgrades, but with delivering new projects such as HS2. We need to remove the bottlenecks in our transport infrastructure, to improve the efficiency and increase capacity, which will help to bridge the North South divide.

“Government would do well to learn and build on the experience of Crossrail ― a project that is being delivered on-time and on-budget. We need to be able to use the knowledge and people skills developed from Crossrail to ensure other rail projects in the UK can be delivered more effectively and efficiently.”