Outputs delivery independent reports

Network Rail's network licence includes a condition providing for independent experts (reporters) to be appointed by the network operator (Network Rail), to provide ORR with advice on different aspects of Network Rail’s performance.

The reports below assess:

control period 6 (CP6), which covers the period from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2024
control period 5 (CP5), which covers the period from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2019
control period 4 (CP4), which covers the period from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2014
control period 3 (CP3), which covers the period from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2009.

A control period is our assessment of what Network Rail must achieve during that period and the funding it requires for it.

CP6 reports
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CP5 reports
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Review of 2015/16 regulatory financial statements
This review by Arup determined the reliability and accuracy of parts of the Annual Efficiency and Finance Assessment 2015-16. The review covered total financial performance; renewals volumes, unit costs and expenditure and Spend to Save schemes.
5 July 2016

Independent Reporter Lot 4 - Output Delivery & Monitoring - L4AR001: Review of 2014/15 Regulatory financial statements
This review by Arup determined the reliability and accuracy of parts of Network Rail's 2014-15 regulatory financial statements. The review covered total financial performance; volume incentive; maintenance volumes, unit costs and expenditure; and renewals volumes, unit costs and expenditure.
24 September 2015

CP4 reports
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Assurance for major programmes delivering complex timetable changes: Part 2
Independent Reporter (Part C) Mandate CN/031 by Nichols
We commissioned these reviews to check that NR's major infrastructure programmes were appropriately organised, governed and resourced to successfully enable the significant and complex timetable changes planned for CP5 and beyond. Part 1 of the review developed a set of generic assurance checks, by reviewing NR's existing processes and best practice. These assurance checks become known as a 'rapid assessment framework' for NR's major infrastructure programmes. Part 2 applied the rapid assessment framework to six major infrastructure programmes, namely: East Coast Programme, Northern Programme Yorkshire, Midland Mainline Programme, North of England (incorporating NW Electrification and TPE), South West Programme and Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP).There are some important recommendations in Part 2 that NR are taking forward as a matter of urgency.
31 July 2015

Review of CP5 asset management roadmap
Report by AMCL
The purpose of this report was to provide Network Rail and the ORR with a basic assessment of the sufficiency of Network Rail's roadmap for control period 5 (CP5). The outputs in the report are intended to provide a 'simple headline view' of the robustness of the roadmap with a view to achieving the 72% maturity level by 2018 as set out in the ORR's final determination. This target was set by the ORR as a specific regulated output measure for CP5.
10 March 2015
Independent Reporter Part A - Review of Updated Earthworks Asset Policy - Arup pdf icon PDF, 1,941 Kb
Network Rail has updated its Earthworks Asset Policy for CP5. This report documents the findings of a review of this updated asset policy carried out by the Independent Reporter.
March 2015

Assurance for major programmes delivering complex timetable changes: Part 1
Independent Reporter (Part C) Mandate CN/031 by Nichols
We commissioned these reviews to check that NR's major infrastructure programmes were appropriately organised, governed and resourced to successfully enable the significant and complex timetable changes planned for CP5 and beyond. Part 1 of the review developed a set of generic assurance checks, by reviewing NR's existing processes and best practice. These assurance checks become known as a 'rapid assessment framework' for NR's major infrastructure programmes. Part 2 applied the rapid assessment framework to six major infrastructure programmes, namely: East Coast Programme, Northern Programme Yorkshire, Midland Mainline Programme, North of England (incorporating NW Electrification and TPE), South West Programme and Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP).There are some important recommendations in Part 2 that NR are taking forward as a matter of urgency.
27 November 2014

Independent Reporter Part C - Network Rail Performance Recovery Plan 2013/14 Q3 Report
This is the Final Report from the Q3 Field Trial investigations undertaken by Nichols as the Independent Reporter (IR) for mandate CN026. The subject of the Filed Trial was to assess the effects of using Emergency Timetables during Quarter 3 2013/2014.
21 August 2014

2014 End of control period 4 (CP4) asset management excellence model (AMEM) assessment
Report by Asset Management Consulting Limited (AMCL)
This report documents the findings of an independent assessment of Network Rail’s asset management capability maturity at the close of control period 4. It evaluates progress against the AMCL asset management improvement roadmap ("AMCL Roadmap") which has been delivered by Network Rail through its asset management improvement programme (AMIP), and against the target trajectories agreed between ORR and Network Rail.
25 July 2014

Audit of Renewal Volume Data 2012/13 - Final report by Arup
Network Rail plans and delivers renewals of its assets based on a programme shared with us at the beginning of each financial year and reports on its actual volumes delivered within its Annual Return. This report reviews the reliability and accuracy of Network Rail's reporting of renewal volumes for the following assets groups in 2012/13; track, signalling, civil engineering, telecoms and electrification and plant. The report also reviews progress made against recommendations made in a previous study as well as making seven new recommendations to address issues identified in the current process.
18 July 2014

Independent Reporter Part C - Operational Analysis of Train Service Performance - Nichols
This is the Final Report from the Operational Analysis of Train Service Performance undertaken by Nichols as the Independent Reporter (IR) for mandate CN030. The investigations were undertaken between 6 May and 23 May 2014 and were constrained to the limited time and data available.
24 June 2014

Audit of £250m fiscal stimulus civils spend - summary report by Nichols
The UK Government in its 2011 autumn statement announced a fiscal stimulus package for civil engineering railway assets in England & Wales. This £250m package for additional maintenance and renewal works for civil engineering assets concluded on 31 March 2014. Over 1000 projects were identified and progressed across all Network Rail's routes in England and Wales. The projects were designed to deliver rapid asset improvement across 5 principal areas: bridge painting; earthworks; spandrel walls; scour protection; and hidden critical elements.
7 March 2014

Independent Reporter Part C – Project and Programme Management Capability Improvement Study
This report provides a review of Network Rail's capability in project, programme and portfolio management. It provides an assessment of Network Rail's existing capability, along with recommendations for further improvement. The report recommends the use of the Cabinet Office's P3M3 measure, which will be an enabler throughout Control Period 5 (2014-2019).
16 Dec 2013

Independent Reporter Part B - Network Rail asset management capability targets for CP5 - AMCL
This report is a qualitative forecast Network Rail's end of CP4 Asset Management capability, assessed against targets agreed between the ORR and Network Rail Boards in January 2011. This report also sets out a proposed trajectory to inform the ORR about what rate of progress that could be expected during CP5.
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5 Jul 2013

Review of performance measures - interim report - ARUP
This report highlights the findings of the Independent Reporter in review of a series of key punctuality performance indicators and measures produced by Network Rail for the ORR, to ensure their correctness. The report also investigates concerns about the reliability of an undocumented process for manually recorded data. The report concludes that manually recorded data has an immaterial effect on the performance metrics against which Network Rail are held to account. The report also concludes that delay attribution has improved since the previous study, and provides accuracy and reliability scores for each of the KPIs.
2 Jul 2013

Independent Reporter Part B - Asset management maturity assessment Strategic Business Plan update - AMCL
This report documents the findings of an independent assessment of Network Rail's Asset Management capability at the time of publication of its Strategic Business Plan (SBP) on 7 January 2013. It evaluates Network Rail's progress against the AMCL Asset Management Improvement Roadmap ("AMCL Roadmap") which is being delivered by Network Rail through its Asset Management Improvement Programme (AMIP), and against the targets agreed between the ORR and Network Rail.
23 May 2013

Independent Reporter Part A - Audit of asset data quality - ARUP
Arup as the Part 'A' Independent Reporter was commissioned to undertake an audit of Network Rail's asset data quality. The study was initiated in order for the ORR to be satisfied that the asset databases used by Network Rail in the development of their Strategic Business Plan (SBP) and for day-to-day operations are robust. The scope of work comprised a review of Network Rail's asset inventory and condition data in order to test currency, completeness and accuracy of its data.
9 May 2013

Independent review and assurance of Network Rail buildings & civil's transformation programme - summary report
In June 2010, Arup as Independent Reporter was commissioned by Network Rail and ORR to work in tripartite collaboration to develop an agreed and benchmarked view of Network Rail's position with respect to Civil Structures' Asset Policy, Stewardship and Management of Structures together with proposed opportunities for improvement (Mandate AO/007). The final report was published in March 2011 and made 77 recommendations for improvement. As a consequence Network Rail initiated a Building & Civils Asset Management (BCAM) Transformation Programme to improve the way that Buildings and Civils Asset Management is undertaken. In June 2011, Arup were appointed (Mandate AO/019) to undertake a constructive review and assurance of the Network Rail BCAM Transformation Programme. This Final Report dated May 2013 summarises the progress made by Network Rail with their BCAM Transformation Programme up to 31st December 2012 when all 77 recommendations were planned to have been 'closed-out'.
1 May 2013

Independent Reporter Part A - Application of CP4 asset policies – Ove Arup
The purpose of this report is to review the application of Network Rail's CP4 asset policies in its asset planning and implementation. Specifically, the review was to assess the degree to which there is a clear auditable trail (line of sight) from the asset policy to workbank to work completed on the ground and general compliance with the requirements of the Asset Policy for each functional asset group (discipline).
25 Apr 2013

Independent Reporter A - Review of safety data 2012-13 - Ove Arup
This report discusses the quality of the Health and Safety data that Network Rail sends to ORR to comply with NR's obligations under the RIDDOR Regulations and the Annual Return. The quality of the data surrounding the standard safety KPI's all matches the quality benchmark set by ORR. For the first time in 2012 Annual return Network Rail provided Occupational Health data on six data sets.
23 Apr 2013

Independent Reporter A - Right Time Performance - Ove Arup
This independent study was commissioned to test whether right-time punctuality data meets required standards of accuracy and reliability, and if issues were identified, ensure measures are put in place to address them. Please note the report has been redacted to remove commercially sensitive information.
22 Jan 2013

Independent Reporter A - Final Annual Return 2011-2012 review - Ove Arup
9 Oct 2012

Independent Reporter B - Review of Asset Information Strategy (ORBIS) Phase 2 - AMCL
28 Sep 2012

Independent Reporter B - Review of fault management system - AMCL
6 Sep 2012

Independent Reporter A - Audit of renewals volume data update for Electrification and Plant (E&P) and telecoms - Ove Arup
3 Sep 2012

Independent Reporter B – Asset Management Roadmap Alignment - AMCL
31 Aug 2012

Independent Reporter C - Operational analysis of Network Rail's train service performance - First Capital Connect analysis report - AECOM
6 Aug 2012

Independent Reporter (Part A) - Audit of Renewals Volume Data - 2012 - Ove Arup
3 Jul 2012

Independent Reporter A - Asset management (station and depot stewardship) data assurance 2011-2012 review - Ove Arup
26 Jun 2012

Independent Reporter B – Asset Management Maturity Assessment Initial Industry Plan Update - AMCL
2 May 2012

Independent Reporter C - National ERTMS lessons learnt review - Executive summary by Halcrow
4 Apr 2012

Independent Reporter A - Review of Analysis in Network Rail's Freight Cap consultation - Ove Arup
30 Mar 2012

Independent Reporter A - Final safety risk data assurance 2011-2012 review - Ove Arup
21 Feb 2012