1 April 2026
Commenting on the start of Year 3 (today 1 April 2026) of Network Rail’s five-year Control Period 7 funding settlement (2024-2029) Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA) said: “As Year 3 of Network Rail’s (NR) Control Period 7 (CP7) commences today, we should recognise on the occasion of this important milestone that NR has – along with the UK’s dynamic rail supply sector – delivered world-class improvements to railway infrastructure in the first two years of CP7.
“Examples around the country include extensive upgrades to Liverpool Street station, improved track connections in the Cambridge network, significant bridge replacement work at Penrith, and junction alterations at Hanslope on the West Coast Main Line.
“Whilst times are difficult for many suppliers at the moment, we recognise that the rail market has substantially altered since the start of CP7 in April 2024, with extensive reprioritisation of work. And so we and our members will continue to collaborate closely with NR on the impact of changes to spending trends and on developing even more visible and certain pipelines of work. This will help secure enhanced value-for-money on rail projects and deliver even more impressive improvement to the railway in the remainder of CP7.”