News

Office of Rail and Road May 2023 newsletter

Simon Barber, principal inspector of heritage railways, highlights the current safety issues faced by the heritage sector.

Following our review into the rail signalling market, changes in how this equipment is procured look set to deliver better value for money.

As the title suggests, our holding to account policy sets out the tools we’re proposing to use to monitor performance, escalate and investigate issues and if necessary, take enforcement action to ensure that Network Rail delivers its business plans for 2024-2029 (control period (CP7)) in the best way for passengers, freight users and taxpayers.

Punctuality and reliability continued to be the top cause for passenger complaints accounting for 18.6% of all rail passenger complaints between 1 October to 31 December 2022. Crowding (12.1%) and issues with ticketing and refunds (9.2%) complete the top 3 complaint categories.

Amey Rail Limited (ARL) has been fined £533,000 after pleading guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which followed an investigation and prosecution by industry regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Office of Rail and Road April 2023 newsletter

Nobody wants things to go wrong on their train journey. But when they do, it is important that there are effective means in place for passengers to submit complaints, and for train operators to be able to put things right.

We join ORR Chief Executive John Larkinson at the Accelerate Rail event as he discusses ORR's role in rail reform.

Statistics published today by the Office of Rail and Road show that for the four weeks between 5 February and 4 March, TransPennine Express’ cancellation score worsened from 7.2% to 23.8% when adjusted to include pre-cancellations due to a shortage of available train crew.