A stand-off is looming between the owner of Britain’s rail infrastructure and its regulator after the Office of Rail Regulation ruled that Network Rail would receive less income over the next five years than it has demanded.

In a ruling published on Thursday, the ORR said Network Rail would be permitted income of £26.7bn ($43.4bn) from government subsidies, train operators and freight companies over the five-year period starting in April. The figure is £2.4bn less than Network Rail demanded and only £200m more than ORR outlined in its draft figures in June, when it was told by the company that the sum was “insufficient”.