Rail delays on the UK's passenger network have cost the economy £1bn it was revealed today, a day after it was announced strikes could hit a busy commuter line over the Easter period.
During 2006-07 there were 800,000 incidents (any event causing delays to timetabled services), resulting in 14 million minutes of delays to rail journeys and £1bn in lost hours, according to the UK's National Audit Office (NAO).
During this period, Network Rail infrastructure faults such as problems with the track and signal failures accounted for 42 percent of total delay minutes.
Delays caused by train operating companies amounted to 38 percent, while external events such as weather conditions or vandalism resulted in 20 percent of delays, according to the NAO.
"In addition to frustrating passengers, train delays cost the economy over £1bn year," says NAO head Tim Burr.
"All sections of the rail industry need to improve their incident planning to keep trains moving quickly and safely."
The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) said yesterday the East Coast Main Line, running from London King's Cross to Edinburgh, would be "severely affected" over the busy Easter weekend following strike action.
Staff at an electrical control room in York are set to walk out on 19 March until 24 March over plans to cut jobs, but Network Rail says it is seeking a resolution to the problem and hopes to avert a strike.
Passengers travelling on the rest of the UK's rail network will be faced with disruptions as 35 sections of the network will be disrupted over the busy Easter period.
By Ozge Ibrahim
