The proposed record £14m penalty on Network Rail for engineering work overruns at Liverpool Street Station, which caused New Year travel chaos, has been confirmed.by rail regulators.
The not-for-profit company wanted the fine to be set aside and suggested that instead it spend £14m on improvements.
The Office of Rail Regulation said that it remained convinced of "systemic weaknesses" in NR planning and execution of engineering
work and that the penalty should stand.
Thousands of rail travellers suffered after the overrunning of the Christmas and New Year engineering work at Liverpool Street station and on the West Coast Main Line at Rugby.
ORR said that customer watchdog Passenger Focus, as well as train operators and others, had supported the NR alternative to a fine. Some have argued that although a private company, NR has no shareholders.
Consequently, any fine imposed on the company is effectively paid by taxpayers.
ORR chief executive Bill Emery said: "The (ORR) board considered the representations carefully. We remain convinced that the systemic weaknesses we have found in Network Rail's approach to the planning and execution of its engineering work are a serious and continuing breach of its licence, meriting a financial penalty.
"We consider that to accept NR's proposal to mitigate the fine in its entirety would reduce the effectiveness of the incentive that penalties place on the company to secure compliance with its licence. We are therefore confirming the penalty of £14 million."
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