asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in considering the future of Network Rail, they will provide incentives to Network Rail to make the infrastructure available for more trains or longer periods of operation.[HL7261]

Network Rail is already required to compensate train operators for disruption caused by its engineering operations. The company is also guaranteed extra income in the future if it accommodates traffic growth beyond a specified level. The Government's high level output specification will require Network Rail to deliver further capacity increases and, as part of its periodic review 2008, the Office of Rail Regulation is considering stronger incentives to encourage the company to meet additional growth in demand.