Britain's rail operator took track repairs out of the hands of private firms today in a move seen as a partial renationalisation of an industry hit by safety concerns after six fatal crashes in as many years.
In what it called the "most fundamental restructuring" of Britain's railways since before privatisation in the mid-1990s, Network Rail said taking the work in-house would lead to high standards of work, significant savings and improved safety.
"It is rationalisation, not renationalisation," chiefexecutive Mr John Armitt said. "This is about getting direct control over a core element of the business."
Under the scheme around 18,500 workers will join therail operator, essentially doubling its size.
Network Rail took control of the railway infrastructure last year after the privatised Railtrack collapsed following a fatal crash at Hatfield, north of London, that exposed the poor state of the investment-starved rail system.
Maintenance costs ballooned after the crash. The latest move, which affects mainline railways only, comes aftertwo derailments on the separate London underground system last week that sparked a threat of strikes over safety.