Railtrack needs better knowledge of the condition of its assets. It needs a better understanding of how the infrastructure performs and degrades in service. It needs better techniques for maintaining and renewing its assets. These are techniques that meet the challenges of increasing demand for access to the network. They need better timing of intervention, with proper and competent programmes of preventative maintenance.
Intervention needs to be just in time, rather than just too late.
I agree with Alistair Morton in relation to Railtrack's role in relation to large enhancement projects on the network. At present, Railtrack simply cannot cope with them. It does not have the financing capability and it does not have the internal resources. Railtrack must, as its first priority, get a better grip on the sustained core network. In the past, Railtrack produced an annual network management statement which was a catch all.