accident (2000), the demise of Railtrack (2001-2), and the funding crisis of 2003-4 - in the shaping of emerging policy.The book was commissioned by the SRA, and written with access
to government files. Dr Gourvish argues that the establishment of the SRA as a Non-Departmental Public Board proved largely unsuccessful. It produced tensions with the industry's existing institutions - Railtrack/Network Rail, the operating companies and the economic regulator. There were some gains from the experiment, notably the rescue of the West Coast Main Line project. However, it remains to be seen whether by winding up the SRA and taking responsibility for strategy and funding back into
its own hands the Department for Transport has resolved the problem of managing a fragmented industry.This important book is essential reading for those concerned with, and
interested in, railway policy, both in the UK and elsewhere in the world.
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