Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategies

Network Rail has an obligation, transferred from the abolished Strategic Rail Authority, to produce Route Utilisation Strategies [http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browseDirectory.aspx?root=&pageid=2895&dir=RUS%20DocumentsRoute%20Utilisation%20Strategies Network Rail's introduction to the process] (RUS). As of late September 2008, 9 had been published, 2 were in draft (1 with consultation closed and being reviewed), and a further 8 were at an earlier stage.

Approach and outputs

All but two RUSs are geographical, mainly regional, in nature. The exceptions are the Freight RUS and the Network RUS, which have the perspective of the network as whole. The non-regional geographical studies include the East Coast Main Line RUS and West Coast Main Line RUS, which penetrate Scotland and regions which have their own RUS. All RUSs consider the demands of freight transport, but the Freight RUS looks at the implications of major freight flows for Great Britain as a whole. The Network RUS is divided into four largely self-contained workstreams: long-distance traffic and generic cross-RUS issues; stations; rolling stock and depots; electrification.

The first stage of each strategy is the preparation and publishing of a scoping document, which is usually produced after a few months. The main part of the study takes place over a period of a year or two, and this concludes with the production and distribution of a draft strategy document. About 12 weeks are allowed for consultation and responses from rail industry and other entities, following which the final strategy is developed and a final version is published. This is later established by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

The scoping document is usually fairly short, sometimes in the form of a presentation.

The strategy document itself normally consists of a fairly standard number of sections: an introduction and explanation of context; a fairly detailed presentation of current services; a forecast of future changes (overwhelmingly increases) in demand; gaps in resources; options for satisfying the demand; the recommended strategy. Other sections may be included, including a section on the consultation process itself specifically in the draft strategy.

The strategies developed so far are related to the Network Rail Control Periods (CPs). Short-term strategy includes those initiatives to the end of CP3, the current period; as this finishes on 31 March 2009, the activities mentioned in strategies presently approaching finalisation are mostly underway, at least in the planning process. In general strategies have an approximate 10 year timescale, taking them into a "long term" corresponding with CP5 (ending in 2019); presumably future strategies will present specific intiatives towards the end of that period, and maybe into the next, and CP4 (ending in 2014) will become the new short term perspective.

Network Rail has an obligation to maintain RUSs, even after establishment. This would be the case in one or more of the following situations: when there has been a change in circumstances; if ordered to by the ORR; when (for whatever reason) it is clear the recommendations are probably no longer valid. The RUS is revisited using the same methodology.

Individual strategies

Published

These are listed in order of publication; they are all established unless otherwise annotated:
* South West Main Line RUS (March 2006)
* Cross London RUS (August 2006)
* Scotland RUS (March 2007)
* Freight RUS (March 2007)
* North West RUS (May 2007)
* Greater Anglia RUS (December 2007)
* East Coast Main Line RUS (February 2008)
* South London RUS (March 2008)
* Lancashire and Cumbria RUS (August 2008, awaiting establishment)

cheduled for publication by end-2008

* Wales RUS (draft strategy published May 2008; consultation closed and being reviewed)

cheduled for publication by end-2009

* Yorkshire and Humber RUS (draft published late September 2008)The remainder are listed alphabetically:
* East Midlands RUS (final scope document published April 2008)
* Great Western RUS (latest scope document published April 2008)
* Kent RUS (latest scope document published February 2008)
* Merseyside RUS (scope document published July 2007)
* Network RUS (Investment in Stations document published June 2008 - unclear if this is formally part of the RUS output)
* Sussex RUS (latest scope document published February 2008)
* West Coast Main Line RUS
* West Midlands & Chilterns RUS (final scope document published July 2008)

References