THE rail network has a finite capacity in terms of train paths, and the exponential growth in demand seen since Privatisation in the mid-1990s continues. The latest quarterly ORR report published on March 20 reveals a 7% year-on-year growth to 446 million passengers between October and December 2024, which is close to the figure recorded immediately prior to the Covid pandemic.
Managing capacity has become critical in making the best use of the rail network and prioritising the economic benefit to be achieved. One of the concerns in the industry as a whole is that if, as intended, Great British Railways has control of the timetabling process, then it will give preference to its services over those of other operators.
Competition benefits have been demonstrated over many years on the…
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The Railway (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025