Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Transport with no shareholders, which reinvests its income in the railways.
| Company type | Government-owned company/non-departmental public body (incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee without share capital) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail infrastructure and asset management |
| Predecessor | Railtrack |
| Founded | October 2002 |
| Successor | Great British Railways (from 2024) |
| Headquarters | 1 Eversholt Street London NW1 2DN |
Key people |
|
| Products | Public transport |
| Revenue | £6.6 billion (2019) |
| Owner | HM Government (Department for Transport) |
Number of employees | 42,099 (2020) |
| Website | www |
Network Rail's main customers are the private train operating companies (TOCs), responsible for passenger transport, and freight operating companies (FOCs), who provide train services on the infrastructure that the company owns and maintains. Since 1 September 2014, Network Rail has been classified as a "public sector body".
To cope with rapidly increasing passenger numbers, (as of 2021) Network Rail has been undertaking a £38 billion programme of upgrades to the network, including Crossrail, electrification of lines and upgrading Thameslink.
In May 2021, the Government announced its intent to replace Network Rail in 2023 with a new public body called Great British Railways. In 2022 it was announced that Great British Railways would not replace Network Rail until 2024.