'More will have to be achieved for less'

Services across the UK have suffered under Railtrack

Train operators like GB Railways - which runs Anglia Railways and Hull Trains - will now have to deal with a new firm, Network Rail - which takes over from Railtrack. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, GB chief executive Jeremy Long outlined his concerns

Network Rail faces three challenges.

The first is to continue the pace and direction of change set by Railtrack and to make it truly fit for purpose.

That is a change both of competence and of culture which has begun but must continue.

The second is to get more value for money for the taxpayer for what needs to be done.

More has to be achieved for less, in terms of railway improvement.

Thirdly, we have to cleverer in the way we deal with customer disruption and the improvements we make in the network.

Additional costs

Railtrack and now Network Rail is going to have to learn to manage the infrastructure's contractors more effectively.

It has already begun the process of upping its own engineering competence, so it can take some of those decisions and can both control and monitor the work that is going on.

That will take time.

In due course, the government and the Strategic Rail Authority has begun an utterly pragmatic review about what kind of railway we want and can afford.

We will see additional costs but we have also got to achieve more for a given sum of money.

That probably means more operators working more closely with Network Rail to get results.

Most passengers just want a railway that works properly.

What we want is a railway system that is capable of delivering the overall targets.