Network Rail - Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Network Rail owns the infrastructure, including the railway tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and most stations, but not the passenger or commercial freight rolling stock.

Although it owns over 2,500 railway stations, it manages only 17 of the biggest and busiest of them, all the other stations being managed by one or other of the various train operating companies (TOCs). Network Rail had a 15-year lease on Square One in Manchester with 800 staff in one of Manchester's largest refurbished office spaces.

Network Rail should not be confused with 'National Rail'. National Rail is not an organisation, but merely a brand, used to explain and promote a Great-Britain-wide network of passenger railway services. The majority of Network Rail lines also carry freight traffic; some lines are freight only. A few lines that carry passenger traffic are not part of the National Rail network (for example High Speed 1, Heathrow Express, Tyne And Wear Metro (The Tyne and Wear Metro uses Network Rail track between Pelaw and Sunderland and is responsible for that) and the London Underground). Conversely, a few National Rail services operate over track that is not part of the Network Rail network (for example where they run on London Underground track).

The current Chairman is Rick Haythornthwaite, and David Higgins is currently appointed as the Chief Executive.