Engineering body says rail funding figure is 'deeply worrying'

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has slammed rail regulators for giving Network Rail less spending money than it asked for.

The body said the decision was “deeply worrying” and pledged to campaign for the funding figure to be raised.

Last week, the Office of Rail Regulation ruled that Network Rail would have a total budget of £28.5bn for the five years from next April - some £2.4bn less than was demanded.

The rail sector doesn't need lip service, it needs sustained investment

Nelson Ogunshakin

ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said the decision undermined recent “positive noises” from the government on investment in infrastructure.

He said: “After both the prime minister and the transport secretary appeared keen recently to make positive noises on funding of infrastructure, it now feels as if we've taken one step forward and two steps back in a short space of time.

“The rail sector doesn't need lip service, it needs sustained investment.”