These are the 10 rail operators with the most delayed train services December 6, 2018 Rail services' punctuality and reliability have dropped by 2.5 per cent in the UK, as signal failures, extreme weather and management issues led to more late-running trains for long-suffering commuters. The latest statistics from rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for the second quarter of 2018-19 also show that East Coast operator LNER suffered [...]
Fixing the rail system means putting passengers first December 5, 2018 The headlines yesterday that Govia Thameslink Rail (GTR) must spend £15m on passenger improvements to hold onto its franchise will be welcome if overdue news for the droves of commuters whose lives were made hell during the timetable chaos earlier this year. The Department for Transport labelled GTR’s performance “unacceptable”, and has not only decreed [...]
Transport secretary Chris Grayling could have done more to avert May timetable chaos, say MPs December 4, 2018 Transport secretary Chris Grayling should have been "more proactive" in averting the crisis that unfolded from the timetable upgrade in May, MPs have said. The Transport Select Committee said it was "not reasonable" of Grayling to "absolve himself of all responsibility" in the May timetable change, which resulted in widespread cancellations, delays and overcrowding. The committee [...]
‘A kick in the teeth for commuters’: The industry reacts to the rail fares hike November 30, 2018 Rail fares are set to increase by an average of 3.1 per cent in the new year, affecting millions of people and increasing many passengers' season tickets by around £100. The rise in the cost of travelling by train comes despite calls for a price freeze following a year of disruption that saw Network Rail fined [...]
Rail fares will rise by 3.1 per cent in January despite timetable chaos hurting commuters November 30, 2018 Rail fares will rise by an average of 3.1 per cent in the new year, according to the Rail Delivery Group, hitting millions of commuters’ wallets. The increase means many passengers will pay around £100 more for their season tickets, despite a year in which travellers have suffered strikes, delays and timetable chaos on many [...]
Network Rail faces regulator fine after performance slumps to lowest level in four years November 29, 2018 The rail regulator has said Network Rail must improve its performance or face a fine. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said punctuality and reliability fell to their lowest levels since 2014 between April and mid October this year. The ORR said Network Rail's performance has been affected by factors such as extreme weather and [...]
Network Rail bonuses could be used to pay regulatory fines under new proposals November 27, 2018 Fines levied on Network Rail for poor performance could be funded through management bonuses, the rail regulator has suggested. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has opened a consultation today that will look at news ways to hold Britain's railway operator to account following a disastrous year with the botched timetable upgrade in May. [...]
Life under Network Rail offers a glimpse of the future if Corbyn were left in charge November 21, 2018 The shambles that is Network Rail continues to blight our lives. City A.M. readers may have experienced the cancellation of many services into Waterloo on Monday, due to engineering works overrunning. Even the best-laid plans can go astray. But this week was not just a one-off event. It seems to be a permanent feature of [...]
Waterloo chaos: South Western Railway tells commuters not to travel November 19, 2018 Commuters heading to London this morning have been told not to travel by rail operator South Western, after Network Rail engineering works overran this weekend. Stations at Working, Surbiton, Raynes Park and Earlsfield are all closed as a result, with no trains able to depart Wimbledon or Clapham Junction until the works conclude. South Western said [...]
Only one in five Govia passengers happy with handling of complaints, says watchdog November 14, 2018 Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is feeling the heat after a consumer survey shows only one in five passengers who filed a complaint were happy with how it was handled. Consumer watchdog Which looked at 12 months' worth of data from rail regulator the Office of Road and Rail (ORR), which received 42,000 responses from consumers. According to Which, only [...]