§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the condition of track on Britain's railways in(a) each year since 1995–96 and (b) each month since April 1995. [4790]
§ Mr. JamiesonAssessment of track condition is not susceptible to presentation in the form requested. However, the Rail Regulator in April this year amended Railtrack's network licence to require from April 2002 an annual report on the performance and condition of their network over the previous year.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many broken rails there were on Britain's railways in(a) each year since 1995–96, and (b) each month since April 1995. [4832]
§ Mr. JamiesonDetails on broken rails can be found in HM Chief Inspector of Railways' annual reports on railway safety, copies of which are placed in both House Libraries. The number of broken rails on Britain's railways since 1995–96 are also shown in the table. Providing the monthly number of broken rails since 1995–96 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Broken rails 1995–96 to 2000–01 Railtrack infrastructure London Underground Limited Other railways Total 1995–96 752 30 10 792 1996–97 709 27 3 739 1997–98 755 43 2 800 1998–99 952 33 3 988 1999–2000 919 29 1 949 2000–01 618 18 5 641 Note:
2000–01 data are provisional and subject to possible change.