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Network Rail Control Periods

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Network Rail Control Periods are the 5-year timespans into which Network Rail, the owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain, works for financial and other planning purposes. Each Control Period begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March to coincide with the financial year. These periods were inherited from Railtrack, so that the earlier ones are retrospective, and not necessarily of 5 years duration.

Contents

As Network Rail is responsible for developing and maintaining railway infrastructure, the Control Periods are used to decide priorities for investment. Infrastructure developments have taken place or are planned as follows:

Control Period 3 (CP3): 2004–2009

CP3 included the following work:

  • Additional express services from Edinburgh to Aberdeen
  • Improved interchange at Gourock

    • Control Period 4 (CP4): 2009–2014

    CP4 included the following work as part of the Enhancements Programme:

  • Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
  • Electrification of the Liverpool to Manchester northern route
  • Electrification of the Liverpool to Wigan Line between Huyton Junction and Wigan North Western
  • Electrification of the Manchester to Preston Line (via Bolton) and the Blackpool Branch Lines between Preston and Blackpool North. As a spin off the branch line between Bolton and Wigan North Western is also due to be electrified
  • Electrification of the Windermere Branch Line
  • Redevelopment of Edinburgh Waverley station
  • Redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station (Gateway Plus)
  • Redevelopment of King's Cross station
  • Redevelopment of Reading station
  • The Thameslink Programme

    • Control Period 5 (CP5): 2014-2019

    CP5 includes:

  • London Bridge station redevelopment
  • Completion of Borders Railway
  • East West Rail Link from Oxford to Milton Keynes Central via Bletchley
  • Electrification from London Paddington to Bristol, Cardiff, Oxford and Newbury
  • Electrification from Bedford to Kettering and Corby
  • Electrification of Transpennine line from Manchester to Leeds
  • Electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line
  • Electrification of Leeds - York and Selby lines
  • Electrification and station redevelopment Bromsgrove railway station
  • Reading, Ascot to Waterloo 10-car platform lengthening.

    • CP5 is running over budget and some projects are to be delayed. In July 2015, Sir Peter Hendy was appointed Chairman of Network Rail "and asked by the Secretary of State to conduct a thorough review of the enhancement programme in England & Wales to see what can be delivered in an affordable and timely way within the funding period to 2019". (Table 37 of the report lists the revised work programme for CP5). Additionally, Dame Colette Bowe will investigate how future investment programmes could be implemented better.

    Control Period 6 (CP6): 2019-2024

    No plans for the Control Period 6 have yet been made, other than those works that were originally slated for CP5 that the Hendy Review (p37) announced are to be slipped to CP6. The Periodic Review 2018 (PR18) will establish outputs and funding for Control Period 6.

    In June 2017, the DfT will publish the High Level Output Specification (HLOS), an overview of the improvements they want to be delivered in CP6 and the funds available to carry out those improvements. In October 2018, the ORR will make the final determination of the funding arrangements available.

    Control Period 7 (CP7): 2024-2029

    No plans for the Control Period 7 have yet been made.

    Control Period 8 (CP8): 2029-2034

    No plans for the Control Period 8 have yet been made.

    References

    Network Rail Control Periods Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA