Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail paid specialist infrastructure consultancy firm Nichols Group to commission and produce the report entitled Network Rail Maintenance Comparator Study Report, published by Network Rail on 13 July 2022.

The independent Nichols Group was commissioned to undertake a comparative study of 15 infrastructure organisations to assess Network Rail's progress in adopting modern working practices and new technology. The final report found that on most criteria, Network Rail's current restrictive and inflexible working practices make it less efficient than comparator organisations.