Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 9 May 2018 to Questions 140753 and 140754 on Network Rail: Standards, when he plans to publish the (a) targets and (b) benchmarks the Office for Rail and Road will bring forward as part of its regulatory approach to ensure improvements to Network Rail’s (i) unit costs and (ii) productivity in Control Period 6.

Government has made clear its expectation that the management of rail infrastructure should become more efficient over the course of CP6, but it has no plans to publish these targets and benchmarks. Publication is a matter for the independent Office of Rail and Road (ORR). We expect the ORR to publish its initial assessment of NR’s efficiency in the Draft Determination, which is scheduled for publication during June. Following consultation, the ORR will finalise its assessment in the Final Determination, expected in the Autumn.

ORR has the ability to levy financial penalties on Network Rail for a license breach.