6,400 more rail services to be running each week by 2021

£50Bn investment in the UK rail network means 6,400 more train services will be running each week by 2021.

According to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), around £50Bn is being spent on the rail network, which would result in an 11% rise in the number of weekday services.

The RDG represents Network rail, which manages the infrastructure, and the train operators.

The study by RDG shows that rail companies are already running more than 1,350 extra trains each week compared with four years ago. By 2021, the group suggest that there will be an increase in train frequency for London commuters and on high-speed England to Scotland routes. They also promised further improvements covering Kent, the Midlands, north-west England, the West Country and Wales.

RDG chief executive Paul Plummer said there had been a “capacity crunch” for years as passenger demand increased.

“That’s why we’re delivering billions of pounds of improvements and reversing decades of under-investment…

“It will break bottlenecks, untangle tracks and harness technology so that more trains can run to more places more often.”

According to the Office of Rail and Road, the independent regulator for Britain’s railways, last year 12.3% of trains failed to reach their destinations on time, with punctuality on Britain’s rail network at its lowest point in more than a decade.

There are doubts over the promises across the industry and rail unions.

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “Like most people, we will believe this when we see it.

“There simply aren’t the trains and staff available to make this plan happen.”

He added: “Like so much of the spin from our rip-off private train companies, these big promises are doomed to turn to dust.”

And Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, said: “While I welcome the RDG’s aspiration… I’m weary of their spin.

“I’m sure many passengers… will be asking themselves why rather than always promising jam tomorrow, they simply just don’t get on with running quality train services today.

“UK passengers pay the highest fares in Europe for substandard services and I expect they too will respond to this latest ‘jam tomorrow’ announcement with derision.”

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