The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has approved a five-year plan for HS1 which included proposals to reduce track access charges by at least 12 per cent between 2015-20.
Based on long term maintenance and renewal cost predictions, the decision was taken to cut the cost on domestic and international passenger and freight operators using HS1’s infrastructure between April 2015 and March 2020.
Graeme Thompson, chief financial officer of HS1 Ltd, said: “We welcome the ORR’s approval of our plans, which is the culmination of two-years of cooperative, transparent and constructive engagement with all of our stakeholders.
“Working in partnership with these stakeholders, including Network Rail (High Speed) which operates and maintains the high-speed line, has allowed us to develop joint plans and priority areas of focus that will support and enhance the customer experience for domestic and international high speed rail passengers and freight operators.
“The focus now is delivering on the commitments and improvements we have agreed to ensure that HS1 remains a world class railway delivering a customer service that we can all be proud of.”
