Rail chiefs at UK infrastructure company Network Rail have been condemned for "widespread complacency" and taking huge bonuses as passengers were faced with transport chaos, according to a government report.
The investigation published by The House of Commons Transport Committee criticises bosses for sharing £700,000 in bonuses as late running engineering works at Rugby, Liverpool Street and Glasgow Shields Junction disrupted journeys for thousands of passengers over the New Year period.
According to the report, the overruns were "simply unacceptable" and calls for changes to "prevent generous bonuses being handed out for good performance in some areas against a background of catastrophic failure in others."
The committee called for a review of the way the company is run, criticising the lack of clear procedures, consistency, communication and management controls.
In response to the findings, Network Rail Chief Executive Iain Coucher said the report points out current levels of high performance across the network.
"We are disappointed by the comments in the Transport Select Committee report which do no reflect the pivotal role Network Rail has played in turning around the railway from the mess inherited from Railtrack.
"The railway is now performing at the highest levels of punctuality ever recorded and it is passengers and freight users who are benefiting from this turnaround," said Coucher.
The company says it has invested over £2bn in thousands of projects across the country, applying what it has learnt from its "unacceptable" performance over the New Year period.
Rail passengers will be faced with a month of delays in August as vital engineering work is carried out on the busy West Coast Main Line. Upgrade work will also be carried out on the West Midlands and North West track in addition to routes in the East Midlands and East Anglia.
By Ozge Ibrahim
