Consumer

ORR investigation into Northern Trains Limited

3 March 2026

In December 2025, ORR opened an investigation into whether Northern contravened or was contravening Condition 5 (Accessible Travel Policy) of its licence obligations.

Regulator secures £500k+ passenger improvement package from Northern Trains after investigation finds accessibility failings

3 March 2026

Passengers who rely on assistance when travelling with Northern Trains should see improvements to the service over time, after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) secured commitments from the operator to ensure staff receive disability awareness training and to provide a £550,000 additional package of measures.

Supporting fair and transparent rail retailing: updated guidance for retailers

20 January 2026

We have published updated Guidance on Rail Retailing, following a public consultation in autumn 2025.

Consultation: review of the Code of Practice on retail information for rail tickets and services

16 January 2026

Sought feedback on new guidance on rail retailing which aims to assist rail retailers in meeting their consumer law obligations regarding the provision of information to passengers.

Improving assisted travel

12 December 2025

Our Accessible Travel Policy guidance for train and station operators sets out the commitments they must include in their policies for helping older and disabled people to travel by rail.

Accessible Travel Policy (ATP)

12 December 2025

Train and station operators are required by their operating licences to establish and comply with an Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) which must be approved by us.

Rail passenger assistance ranked for first time by ORR, as regulator investigates Northern Trains’ disability awareness training

12 December 2025

The Office of Rail and Road has today published its first annual benchmarking report on train and station operators’ delivery of passenger assistance. The findings highlight that while passengers are generally satisfied with the standard of assistance when it is delivered, delivery itself can be unreliable with 11% of passengers reporting that they received none of the assistance they booked in

Rail regulator tightening up accessible travel redress rules

29 October 2025

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has made it mandatory for all rail operators to assess redress claims from passengers whose booked assistance failed, on a case-by-case basis. The change is detailed in an update to the regulator’s Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) Guidance.

Consultation on Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) Guidance redress requirements

29 October 2025

Sought views on our proposal to amend our Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) Guidance to require all operators to determine redress for failed assistance where it has not been delivered as booked on a case-by-case basis. We also invited comments on any other matters in the ATP Guidance that relate to the redress requirements.

Complaints and compensation

23 October 2025

Our role is to monitor train and station operators’ compliance with their complaints handling procedures and to set out requirements on what these procedures should contain.

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