Blueprint for our stricken railways

THE GOVERNMENT is committed to the following measures:

INSTALLING the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) by the end of next year.

CONSTRUCTION of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link by 2006.

UPGRADING the West Coast Main Line (the cause of much of Railtrack's problems when costs trippled to more than £6bn) by 2005.

DELIVERY of 1,700 new coaches by 2004 to replace 30-year-old slam-door rolling stock.

IMPROVING power supply in South-East commuter routes to enable 12-carriage trains to be used.

INTRODUCING measures to tackle over-crowding on all commuter routes used by the 10 passenger train companies serving London.

IMPROVING station facilities such as new lavatories, security and information systems at 1,000 small and medium stations nationwide - but mostly in the South and South East.

It lists as 'priorities by 2010' such schemes as those already outlined by commuter companies South Central and South West Trains for hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of new rolling stock.

NEW trains and longer platforms to take 12 car stock on Connex South Eastern routes, the busiest commuter lines in the country.

THAMESLINK 2000 - the scheme to upgrade the existing service from Bedford to Brighton through London and the redevelopment of London Bridge station, a notorious rail bottleneck. But the scheme is under threat because of the problems concerning Railtrack.

EXPANDING London Underground's East London Line to the south and north to take mainline trains as well and to connect with the national network.

Schemes listed 'for further development' - i.e., 'We would like them but cannot afford to do it':

A FULL south London metro, where mainline trains would run on a Tube-style basis, so frequent - every few minutes - that there would be no need of a timetable.

CROSSRAIL - a twin-bore tunnel through central London and some new track connecting Stratford and Canary Wharf with Heathrow. Everyone promotes the £5bn scheme as 'excellent,' as they did in the mid-1990s, and nobody wants to pay for it, as in the mid-1990s.

A NEW Tube tunnel connecting Merton with Hackney. So far in the future, don't even bother thinking about it.