The station commercial project facility is an initiative developed by the Department for Transport in partnership with Network Rail, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and the Office of Rail Regulation. It is available for capital expenditure projects and will be administered and programme managed by Network Rail.
To be eligible, proposals must make improvements to the station environment and also reduce overall public subsidy for rail by generating a financial return. There is no cap on the maximum value of proposals and bids are welcomed from third-party organisations as well as train operators and Network Rail itself.
Network Rail director of stations and customer service Mike Goggin said: 鈥淭his is a great opportunity for the rail industry to think innovatively about how to improve stations without increasing the burden on the taxpayer. It is also an opportunity for local authorities and third parties to get involved and we encourage prospective projects to build relationships to improve the strength of their bid.鈥�
ATOC director of policy and operations Alec McTavish said: 鈥淭rain companies, working with Network Rail, are committed to improving stations around the country, so additional funding is very welcome. We are looking forward to assessing high quality bids which will bring real benefits to passengers and demonstrate how they can provide a healthy financial return.鈥�
Proposals will be assessed by a panel including the Department for Transport, ATOC and Network Rail.
To be considered for the first tranche of funding, proposals are requested by 17 June 2011. A second tranche will be released in October 2011 for which proposals are requested by 30 September 2011.
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