Trains in Wales are getting worse while the rest of the UK is stable
An investigation into poor train punctuality and reliability in Wales has been launched. Regulator the Office of Rail and Road says there have been continuing issues and "performance levels experienced by customers continue to be below expectations".
The watchdog said it had seen train performance in the Wales and west region deterioriate while the wider network across Great Britain has stabilised.It says there has been poor reliability and punctuality for both passengers and freight and it says it will look at whether Network Rail is complying with its licence obligations.
A letter to Network Rail from its regulator says: "Network Rail’s contribution to train service performance has been on an overall worsening trend since 2021, impacting both passengers and freight. The region has therefore been subject to enhanced regulatory monitoring and intervention."
The ORR is the economic regulator for railway infrastructure, including Network Rail, and health and safety regulator for the rail industry as a whole. The letter says that there has been" co-operation with our enhanced monitoring, including its progress in developing and implementing its performance improvement plan" but "the train performance levels experienced by customers continue to be below expectations".
The investigation will look at whether the licence has been contravened or is contravening the licence in relation to network management, sufficient resources and asset management as well as other issues. If it finds a breach, enforcement action could be taken.
Feras Alshaker, the ORR's director, performance and planning, said: “While Network Rail has begun making good progress in stabilising performance elsewhere on the network, performance in the Wales and Western region has continued to deteriorate, meaning poor reliability and punctuality for passengers and freight.
“Our investigation will take a detailed look at the root causes of the region’s performance issues and will consider wider contributing factors. As part of our work we will convene a roundtable with key players in the region to support Network Rail in taking pragmatic and effective action to improve performance for all the region’s rail users.”
There will be an investigation, including views of other industry members and stakeholders, the letter says.
Network Rail’s Wales and Western region covers cities Cardiff[3] and Swansea[4] as well as the routes from London Paddington to Penzance via Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth .Passenger services are operated by Great Western Railway, Transport for Wales, MTR Crossrail and CrossCountry. There are also rail freight services.
Michelle Handforth, managing director, Wales & Western, Network Rail, said: “We welcome this cross-industry review which recognises the importance of Network Rail and the train operating companies working effectively together to deliver a reliable railway for the thousands of passengers and freight customers who depend on it every day.
“We know that when we work efficiently and effectively with train and freight operating companies it leads to more reliable services. However, we recognise there is much more work to be done across our region, and our biggest challenge is within the critical Thames Valley, which is one of the busiest railway corridors in the country. “We will, of course, co-operate fully with the ORR as it undertakes its review and look forward to receiving its recommendations.”
References
- ^ One of most popular Chinese restaurants in Cardiff gets zero hygiene rating (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ He hadn't been seen by a doctor for months and was put on long waiting lists, then he wrote a letter for his daughter and died (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Cardiff (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Swansea (www.walesonline.co.uk)