London - Railtrack yesterday got extra cash to make the railways safer, but was warned to improve its performance. The company will receive a £4.7 billion grant over the next five years, £855 million more than was originally expected.
The company will face tough targets for reducing the number of broken rails and for cutting down on passenger train delays. And Railtrack will also have its performance constantly monitored and will have to produce a proper register of its assets.
Details of the new financial regime came from the Rail Regulator, Mr Tom Winsor, and were published less than a week after the Hatfield rail crash, in which four people were killed.