Ministers ban rail report

A Government report laying bare the dreadful state of Britain's rail network is so damning ministers have stopped it being published.

The document, compiled by the Strategic Rail Authority and calling for billions of pounds of extra funding, has been rewritten four times, according to Whitehall insiders.

But Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has now scrapped it amid fears that it paints too graphic a picture of the failure of the Government's 10-year rail strategy.

Ministers banned the SRA from publishing the 130-page document this month, dismissing it as a "wish list".

However, details have now emerged. They highlight the desperate need for renewal of the ageing main lines between London and Scotland and from the capital to the west of England.

The report reiterates that there is still no approval for Crossrail - the multi-billion-pound project for a new east-west mainline through the capital - or the massive upgrade for Thameslink services, already among the most crowded in the UK.

A political decision is also still awaited on the East London Line Extension - needed for London's bid for the 2012 Olympics.

The report states: "It is vital that development work for improvements that could be built in the next decade and beyond is under way now."

Although some improvements are being made the railway is not being run for the benefit of all its users "and is not a coherent network".

All the £64 billion earmarked in the 10-year plan to improve the railways will be used to maintain existing lines.

The report makes clear that the gap between income, including public subsidy-and expenditure has risen by £500 million to £2 billion in 2003/4.

Richard Bowker, the SRA chairman, has been lobbying the Government for more funds while denying he is holding out the "begging bowl".

Without the extra money, the national network will not be able to cope with the forecast huge growth in passenger numbers.

This would mean passenger numbers rising by 24 per cent in the decade to 2010 rather than 50 per cent as envisaged.

Details of the report will further undermine the tense relationship between the SRA and Mr Darling. It will, however, have the desired effect of increasing pressure on Gordon Brown to make more money available for the railways this summer.

In a separate move, a Downing Street audit will show Tony Blair on Friday that his key reform plans for transport, crime and education have only made patchy progress.

However, the Government's NHS plan is said to have taken a big leap forward, according to the report from No 10's Delivery Unit.

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