HC Deb 07 May 1996 vol 277 cc47-8W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the cost of the backlog on the British Rail route structure. [27817]

Mr. Watts

Railtrack's asset maintenance plan for track and route structures, developed with the assistance of independent consultants W. S. Atkins, forecasts the expenditure required over the 10-year period from 1 April 1994 for sustaining the operating capacity of the assets in accordance with Railtrack's operational policies and standards and to comply with its statutory obligations. The plan also takes into account the longer-term maintenance requirements of the assets.

Mr. Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what part British Rail maintenance experts played in estimating the costs of maintenance of the route structure for the Railtrack Pathfinder prospectus. [27813]

Mr. Watts

Railtrack developed its asset maintenance plan for track and route structures with the assistance of independent consultants W. S. Atkins. I understand that the preparation of the plan included making extensive inquiries of experts in the rail industry, and that this included a number of past and present employees of British Rail.

Mr. Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the forward projections of maintenance costs made over the last 10 years by British Rail. [27814]

Mr. Watts

This information could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why the maintenance figure for the Railtrack route structure for the 10 years after flotation given in the Pathfinder prospectus is the same as expenditure by British Rail in its last 10 years. [27790]

Mr. Watts

[holding answer 2 May 1996]: It is to be expected that the costs of maintenance of railway structures will be similar over time, given the long asset lives of the categories of asset concerned, which are preserved by ongoing maintenance and partial renewal and are rarely replaced in their entirety. Railtrack's asset maintenance plan for track and route structures, prepared with the assistance of W. S. Atkins, forecasts the expenditure considered to be necessary to sustain the operating capability of the relevant assets in accordance with Railtrack's operational policies and standards.