Network Rail today called on business leaders throughout London to support capital investment in vital transport schemes that are so important for London and for the UK economy as a whole.

Speaking at the annual London Rail conference this last week (Tuesday 29 Jun 2010), Robbie Burns, Network Rail's programme director for Crossrail, urged businesses to "make their voices heard” to protect London's position as the number one city in the world.

Making the case that rail investment, including schemes like Thameslink and Crossrail, "pay for themselves time and time again", Mr Burns said: "We need our voice and the voice of those who rely on rail to be heard by the decision makers" and "to be convincing, it is vital that rail enlists business, the wealth generators of UK plc, to speak up on behalf of rail" and he called on everyone “to inspire our businesses, our passengers, our politicians to make the case again for those rail projects that offer so much for London’s future.”

In a wide ranging speech, Mr Burns showcased the visible progress that is being seen on London’s railway at places like Blackfriars, King's Cross and routes across the capital. “This is change on a grand scale. It is change that translates into millions of pounds every year for small, medium and large businesses in our country. It is change that must continue if London is to maintain its position as the No. 1 city in the World”.

Mr Burns welcomed positive noises about the biggest capital projects in recent weeks and the confirmation in last week's budget that Infrastructure UK would oversee a review of costs across the construction sector. This will help Network Rail in its goal of “operating and renewing the railway with costs and practices that bear comparison with any in the world” by 2014 and in building on the company’s strong track record that has saved £6.5bn or 27% over the past five years and is targeting a further 24% of savings by 2014.

Key extracts

The importance of sustained investment: “In the new age of austerity the passenger’s interests and those of the taxpayer are not necessarily aligned. How many people in our country will write urging the Government to protect the railway when their local hospital might close? Do people want new trains or more police? Is Crossrail or Trident more important? There will be trade-offs. Make no mistake, there will be losers. And rail could be one of them.”

"The investment that we fought so hard to secure still has a strong business case.  Whatever the reality, London has a perception of having a poorer transport network than many of its competitors. We are challenging that but if we call a halt to investment, perception will become a reality.  Our rivals will not stop improving and international business will vote with its feet.”

“We all have a responsibility to fight for London’s public transport network or we will leave our fate in the hands of others. We should use every opportunity to enter the debate and inspire our businesses, our passengers and our politicians to make the case again for those rail projects that offer so much for London’s future.”

On cutting costs: "Network Rail was born with the challenge of cuttings costs whilst improving its service. We've been doing it since 2003 and over the last five years we've cut £6.5bn from the cost of running the national rail network."

"If we are to create a healthy and sustainable future for rail we have a duty to drive out cost and waste and avoid spending on what isn't needed or doesn't deliver value."

"So becoming leaner and more efficient is not just important, it is an imperative. But let me be clear - we need to push very hard on cutting costs, but not cutting corners."

“Let’s look at Thameslink. When it comes to scale nothing currently challenges it. Thameslink is no longer a pipedream or a scheme that might one day deliver. It is very much alive.  At Blackfriars we are rebuilding a railway bridge built in 1886 by Brunel’s brother. It is not just one of the most important rail projects in Britain. It is one of the most difficult construction jobs anywhere. There were no original plans to work from.  We are working above one of the busiest parts of the Thames. We are building a new Underground station. We are working with contractors, sub-contractors, two councils, three train operators, the City of London, the Port of London Authority, at least two different parts of TfL, power companies, community groups, hundreds of affected businesses, and at the same time keeping hundreds of local residents informed of our every move. And for all but 8 weeks in almost 3 years, we will keep the railway station open to passengers!”

Crossrail: “Network Rail supports Crossrail not just as a deliverer, but as a full partner. Without us Crossrail simply would not be possible. We are delivering all of the ‘surface’ work, we own the timetable that Crossrail relies on and it was our timetable modelling work that proved the key to unlocking the £15.9bn funding package. We have the massive responsibility of integrating Crossrail with the railway to the east and west of London, and we are delivering and financing £2.3bn of the work. Furthermore, we will be maintaining the entire infrastructure apart from stations including the tunnel.”

“So, if you take one thing from today remeber that the next six months are crucial. There may be a temptation for TfL and Network Rail to compete for funding in a negative way. For one side to criticise the other - to fight battles between ourselves, but lose the investment war. This must be resisted. It is not a winner takes all game. Rather, such competition will undermine the integrity of the argument, it will ignore the reality of passengers crying out for better door to door journeys and it will reduce our joint credibility.”

“In 2005 we were delivering £0.5bn of enhancements. Six years later we will deliver six times that amount. This shows how far we have come. It shows that Network Rail is trusted to manage huge projects that will change our country for the better. Today’s railway is a modern  industry, employing some of the finest engineers and project managers in the world and that our supply base is becoming world class. And we have every intention of building on this. We want Network Rail to be recognised not just as an efficient manager of infrastructure but as a principle proponent for change.”