§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost per mile of railway line maintenance for each contractor. [168007]
§ Mr. McNultyThis is an operational matter for Network Rail. However, Network Rail advises that expenditure on the maintenance of any mile of track will depend on the type of track, its age, and the underlying ground conditions, the types of trains that that run on the route, their speed and frequency.
§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the subsidy to train operators is used to finance the leasing of rolling stock. [168177]
§ Mr. McNulty[holding answer 26 April 2004]: Franchise agreements with train operating companies specify franchise payments, whether subsidy or premium, but do not break the figures down into individual components such as rolling stock costs.
§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the average payment is per year to lease a unit of rolling stock; [168178]
(2) what the average cost is of a unit of rolling stock. [168180]
§ Mr. McNulty[holding answer 26 April 2004]: Rolling stock building and leasing costs vary widely. A two car Pacer, for example, will have cost about £500,000 to build at present prices and is likely to cost an operator in the region of £50,000 per year to lease. A more modern two car train, such as a Class 170, would command an annual rent of around £170,000 per year, reflecting substantially higher build costs.
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