Network Rail expenditure on staff duty rail travel

The request was successful.

Dear Network Rail Limited,

Please could you provide data on the amount spent by Network Rail on rail travel for staff duty purposes for the years 2015/16 and 2016/17?

I would be grateful if this data could be provided in spreadsheet format.

Please include (and label) costs for:
Tickets bought through internal systems (Capita)
Tickets bought by employees and reimbursed (expenses)
Duty/bearer passes

Please split the data, if possible, by:
Train Operating Company
NR route
UK/non-UK
Reason for travel

Yours faithfully,
AM

FOI, Network Rail Limited

Reference number: FOI201700605

 

Dear Mr/Ms Morton,

 

Information request

 

Your correspondence was received by Network Rail on 12^th May 2017.  I can
confirm that your request is being processed under the terms of the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  I will endeavour to respond to you as
soon as possible and in any event by 12^th June 2017.

 

On occasion we may need to consult with third parties about requests, in
line with the recommendations in the Code of Practice issued by the then
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs.

 

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Please remember to quote your reference number in all future
communications.   I would be grateful if you could confirm your preferred
title so that I can include this in my future correspondence to you.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Catherine Leach| Information Officer | Freedom of Information Team

[1]Network Rail | The Quadrant: MK | Elder Gate | Milton Keynes | MK9 1EN

External 01908 782 405 | Internal 085 22405 | Web :
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/foi/

 

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1. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/

FOI, Network Rail Limited

1 Attachment

Reference number: FOI201700605

 

Dear A Worton,

 

Please find attached our response to your Freedom of Information request.

 

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Catherine Leach| Information Officer | Freedom of Information Team

[1]Network Rail | The Quadrant: MK | Elder Gate | Milton Keynes | MK9 1EN

External 01908 782 405 | Internal 085 22405 | Web :
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/foi/

 

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1. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/

Dear FOI,

To clarify: I mean the cost of any rail tickets or passes, purchased for Network Rail employees.

This includes: Any duty/bearer passes, any tickets bought for employees via the company travel agent (e.g. Capita Travel & Events), any rail tickets that are expensed by employees.

I want to know how much Network Rail is paying train operators for journeys made in the line of duty.

I would like this data broken down as previously requested.

Yours sincerely,

A Morton

FOI, Network Rail Limited

Dear Mr Morton,

 

Reference number: FOI2017/00668

 

Information request

 

Your correspondence was received by Network Rail on 28^th May 2017. I can
confirm that your request is being processed under the terms of the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). I will endeavour to respond to you as
soon as possible and in any event by 26^th June 2017.

 

On occasion we may need to consult with third parties about requests, in
line with the recommendations in the Code of Practice issued by the then
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs.

 

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Please remember to quote your reference number in all future
communications.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Robert Malcolm | Information Officer

 

Freedom of Information Team

The Quadrant

Elder Gate

Milton Keynes

MK9 1EN

 

Telephone: 01908 782405

Email: [1][Network Rail request email]

Web: [2]www.networkrail.co.uk/foi

 

 

 

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1. mailto:[Network Rail request email]
2. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/foi

Dear FOI,

I look forward to receiving the information.

Yours sincerely,

A Morton

FOI, Network Rail Limited

Dear A Morton,

 

Information request

Reference number: FOI2017/00668

 

Thank you for your request of 28^th May 2017 in which you requested the
following information:

 

Previous request:

 

“Please could you provide data on the amount spent by Network Rail on rail
travel for staff duty purposes for the years 2015/16 and 2016/17?

 

“I would be grateful if this data could be provided in spreadsheet format.

 

Please include (and label) costs for:

Tickets bought through internal systems (Capita) Tickets bought by
employees and reimbursed (expenses) Duty/bearer passes

 

Please split the data, if possible, by:

Train Operating Company

NR route

UK/non-UK

Reason for travelHint, The wording of the FOI request

 

New request:

 

To clarify: I mean the cost of any rail tickets or passes, purchased for
Network Rail employees.

 

This includes: Any duty/bearer passes, any tickets bought for employees
via the company travel agent (e.g. Capita Travel & Events), any rail
tickets that are expensed by employees.

 

I want to know how much Network Rail is paying train operators for
journeys made in the line of duty.

 

I would like this data broken down as previously requested.”

 

I am processing your request under the terms of the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 (FOIA). Owing to the nature of this request I have broken the
response down to reflect our position for each piece of information
requested.

 

Information other than that which relates to duty bearer passes

 

I can confirm that we hold the information you requested and that we are
able to provide it to you. It is not, however, in the words of the Act
‘reasonably practicable’ for us to upload all of this information to the
whatdotheyknow.com website as it is too large. With that in mind, could I
ask you to provide a postal address so that we can send you a CD with the
information on it. I wouldn’t recommend publishing your address on the
whatdotheyknow.com website but you can provide it to us directly using the
email address ‘FOI [@] networkrail.co.uk’.

 

Section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) requires us to
comply with a request for information to be communicated in a form
acceptable to the applicant, but only insofar as it is reasonably
practicable to do so. It is our view that, for the reasons given above, it
is not reasonably practicable to comply with your request by communicating
the information on whatdotheyknow.com.                              

 

Duty/ Bearer Passes

 

In regards to duty/bearer passes we require more time to consider where
the public interest lies. In this instance we think that s.43(2) of the
FOIA is engaged since disclosure of the requested information might
potentially be commercially prejudicial to us and our partners. We are in
the process of consulting with the relevant stakeholders in order to
determine whether the public interest favours disclosure, as soon as this
process is complete we will respond to the whatdotheyknow.com page via
email. I will try to get in touch with you as soon as I can in relation to
this point and in any event no later than 24^th July 2017.

 

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not
hesitate to contact me.

 

Robert Malcolm

Information Officer

 

Freedom of Information Team

The Quadrant

Elder Gate

Milton Keynes

MK9 1EN

 

Telephone: 01908 782405

Email: [1][Network Rail request email]

Web: [2]http://www.networkrail.co.uk/foi/

 

 

Appeal Rights

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled and wish to
make a complaint or request a review of our decision, please write to the
FOI Compliance and Appeals Manager at Network Rail, Freedom of
Information, The Quadrant,

Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, MK9 1EN, or by email at
[3][email address]. Your request must be submitted within 40 working
days of receipt of this letter.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

 

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References

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1. mailto:[Network Rail request email]
2. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/foi/
3. mailto:[email address]

FOI, Network Rail Limited

2 Attachments

Dear A Morton,

 

Please find attached a letter from Network Rail in response to your recent
request for information.

 

Kind regards

 

Robert Malcolm

Information Officer

 

Network Rail

Freedom of Information

The Quadrant

Elder Gate

Milton Keynes

MK9 1EN

 

T 01908 782405

E [1][Network Rail request email]

 

[2]cid:image002.jpg@01D16971.89AF19F0

 

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1. mailto:[Network Rail request email]

Dear Robert,

Thank you for your response.

However,

There is only information about South East route included in your response. I understand that there are 8 Network Rail routes - am I to infer that there are no other passes from Train Operators on other routes?

I also wish to offer some reassurance about the motives behind my request: Personally, I think it is right for Network Rail employees to travel by train wherever possible - how better to appreciate the importance of running a railway?

What I wanted to understand and highlight was that Network Rail pays, as do the rest of us, for its employees' rail travel in the line of duty. And I wanted to understand what Train Operating Companies receive from Network Rail as income - aside from delay repayments.

Yours sincerely,

A Morton

FOI, Network Rail Limited

Dear A Morton,

In direct response to your question, I can confirm that we have included in our response all the bearer/duty passes that are purchased by us. However, as an organisation we do have other duty/bearer passes, but do not pay for these.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me (see details below).

Many thanks

Robert Malcolm
Information Officer

Freedom of Information Team
The Quadrant
Elder Gate
Milton Keynes
MK9 1EN

Telephone: 01908 782405
Email: [Network Rail request email]
Web: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/foi/

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