TAS Publications

In the original edition of Rail Industry Monitor in 1993, we said that the question of investment was absolutely central to the success or failure of the reorganisation of Britain’s railways then being put into effect.

Despite all the changes and the progress that has been made in the intervening period, that remains just as true today. Indeed, if the original decision to privatise was Treasury-driven, then the need to fund the amount of expenditure which everybody knew was required must have been a primary motive. And the sums involved are no less today - and the state of the public finances even worse.

Thus, it is vital that we track what is happening with investment in the rail industry, and this is what this volume of our analysis is designed to do.

By bringing together in one report data published by Network Rail, ORR, DfT and other industry bodies, our report provides a unique overview of this vital subject.

The latest March 2011 edition offers a 70-page analysis of the history and current state of capital spending on the UK network, taking into account the Government's latest decisions on the IEP and GWML electrification projects.

With investment running at between GBP 4 and 5 billion a year, this is a major element of public spending, but delivers wide benefits for rail passengers and the wider economy. The report examines the nature and structure of investment, analyses what the funds are spent on, and looks in detail at:

• The Rolling Stock market, with analysis of future orders and detailed analysis of cascade plans, projecting likely purchasing patterns through to 2030
• The rail infrastructure business, looking at the funding structure, activity volumes and expected trends over the next 5-10 years.

The 69 page report contains 21 tables of analysis and seven illustrative charts. It is available to TAS Business Monitor subscribers to read on line, or can be purchased from our shop as a PDF instant download or as a hard copy.

Table of Contents

1.  Introduction   
2.  Historical Background   
3.  Investment under New Labour
4.  Looking Ahead
5.  Rolling Stock
6.  The Current Fleet
7.  Infrastructure
8.  Future Plans for Infrastructure Investment
9.  Electrifying the network
10.Stations