Railtrack plc

Railtrack launches £1 billion station regeneration programme
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date 19 May 1997
source Railtrack plc
type Press release

A £1 billion regeneration programme to modernise Railtrack's 2,500 stations by the year 2001, which, at its height, will involve a daily workforce of over 5,000, was launched today.

Chairman Sir Robert Horton announced the official start of the project at Paddington Station, in London, as the first of a series of high-profile site boards went on display.

"By the year 2001 it is Railtrack's intention to have carried out work at almost all of our stations throughout the country in an exercise that will make them fit for the 21st century," he said.

"In the current year, over 300 stations will be upgraded, with costs varying from tens of thousands to multi millions," he added. "Next year will see a further 460 undergo work with 650 in 1999, over 600 in 2000 and the final 500-plus in 2001."

"When Railtrack was formed, we took possession of a mass of property in various states of repair and disrepair. Our regeneration programme is designed to bring this valuable asset to a standard that we and our customers, the train operating companies, can be proud of.

"The travelling public who use these stations should be able to feel they are part of a caring, clean, environmentally-friendly organisation. The station should have the facilities to enhance the start and finish of their journey.

"Stations colour the experience of every rail traveller and Railtrack's investment scheme will enhance the rail travel experience and thus improve the product offered by the industry. Railtrack aims to create, as far as it can, a relaxing environment for the station user," he said.

The specific plans for each station were developed following detailed surveys that highlighted areas in need of improvement and consultation with the various train operating companies who manage all but 14 of the stations.

As a result, the investment programme will embrace complete roof renewals and reglazing, repairs and improvements to buildings, station facilities, passenger information systems, footbridges and platforms.

Altogether almost 50 stations will have a spend exceeding one million pounds while four major stations at Paddington, Waterloo, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, will have over £25 million spent.

Railtrack has embarked on a pioneering concept of project delivery of the scheme with its construction partners, who include some of the biggest and most respected names in the world of construction.

To be able to deliver such a massive programme of station regeneration over the whole country, the normal process of traditional contracting has had to be abandoned.

The partnership approach involves the Railtrack project teams and its partners' teams working closely together even to the extent of being located in the same office, in order to facilitate and deliver the projects together.

The new approach will guarantee that the regeneration programme will be delivered to a high standard and meet the demanding deadlines and budgets.

At the launch of the project at Paddington and at 14 stations throughout the country, promotional people, in eye-catching lime-green boiler suits and white hard hats handed out thousands of competition postcards, promoting the proposed work, to rail passengers

On the first anniversary of its flotation, Sir Robert added: "Having freed the company from public sector constraints on spending, Railtrack is set to achieve its vision of working with its industry partners, customers and suppliers to deliver the world's best railway."

Railhub Archive ::: 1997-05-19 RTK-004