Sustained and targeted investment vital to reduce overcrowding

In response to a Public Accounts Committee report, ‘’Increasing Passenger Rail Capacity’’, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said:

“Sustained and targeted investment to reduce overcrowding is vital if we are to deal with the growing number of people that want to travel by train. Demand for rail travel has bounced back strongly since the recession and is expected to double over the next few decades.

‘’The delay in tackling capacity has coincided with the growing involvement of civil servants in buying new trains. The best way to get value for money and ensure extra capacity is delivered when and where it is needed would be to return to a situation where train operators take a greater role in ordering new rolling stock. In the early days of privatisation, train operators successfully ordered nearly £5 billion of new trains.

“The Committee is right that the rail industry has to become more efficient. Train companies have argued for longer, smarter franchises which would allow them to tackle overcrowding more quickly and cheaply by giving them more scope to innovate and bring in private sector investment. Reform is also needed for Network Rail to become more commercially-minded and focussed on passengers."

ENDS

Read a letter from ATOC published in the Times about overcrowding