Tom Winsor has given ministers a summer deadline to decide whether to spend more on railways or agree a decline in services.
Failure to spend more could lead to lines closing, the rail regulator warned.
Winsor launched a final consultation on the decision he has to make about how much Network Rail should be paid to run the railways.
References: Financial Times 14/02/03 page 2, The Guardian 14/02/03 page 28 (Notebook), The Times 14/02/03 page 30 (Need to know), page 31, The Daily Telegraph 14/02/03 page 37
