Network Rail, the owner of the UK's railway system, has revealed a two-year programme of rail expansion worth £2.4 billion.
The huge investment will see new tracks laid, line speeds raised and overcrowding eased as the firm carries out the works over the next two years.
However the investment, which includes about 900 schemes around the country, is yet to receive full funding approval.
Unveiling the plans, Network Rail's chief executive, John Armitt, said: "The railway is thriving.
"Three million people use the railways each day, more than at any time in the past 60 years, and we're not standing still waiting for the big infrastructure projects to be delivered."
Commenting on the £1 billion due to be spent each year on Britain's rail network, Mr Armitt said this reflected how the "needs of today's railway are shifting".
Network Rail's announcement of its new enhancement plan comes under a week since the firm was fined £4 million for the breaches in health and safety that led to the 1999 Paddington rail disaster which killed 31 people and injured 400 more.
"We will never lose sight of the imperative to run a safe and reliable railway each and every day, but responding to the challenge of growth becomes a new and important priority for the company," Mr Armitt said.
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