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<p>Since Privatisation annual rail passenger journey growth has averaged almost 4%,
compared to 0.58% over the previous 60 years and the number of passenger journeys
has more than doubled from 735 million in 1994/95 to 1.6 billion journeys in 2013/14.
On a network roughly the same size as 15 years ago there are now 4,000 more services
a day, which are all delivered through dynamic private sector stewardship with the
flexibility to respond to the needs of passengers. This is reflected in improved passenger
satisfaction scores, which are at a higher level now than when these were first collected
in the late 1990s.</p><p> </p><p>Investment in the rail network is at record levels
and the Government’s Rail Investment Strategy will see £38bn spent by Network Rail
on enhancing and maintaining the network between 2014-2019.</p><p> </p><p>There is
no consistent performance measure that has been in place since privatisation so it
is not possible to make a meaningful comparison. However, performance in recent years
has been higher than it was in the later 1990s, when figures were first available,
on a network that is far busier and safer than it was at that time.</p><p> </p><p>Private
sector train operating companies provide billions of pounds to the public purse. The
last 5 franchises let by this Government alone (Thameslink Southern Great Northern;
Essex Thameside; InterCity West Coast; South Eastern; InterCity East Coast) are due
to pay over £9bn to the Department for Transport over the lives of their contracts.</p><p>
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