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Thursday 26 Sep 2024

ORR accepts Network Rail’s robust plan to improve train performance across Wales and Western

Region & Route:

Wales & Western

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western: Western

The Office of Rail and Road today accepted Network Rail’s detailed plan to improve train performance across Wales & Western England.

This means that rail passengers, including those travelling on some of the UK’s busiest train services into and out of London Paddington, can look forward to more reliable journeys in future.

The detailed improvement plan was submitted by Network Rail in response to the regulator’s investigation into performance on Wales & Western, which began in autumn 2023.

The plan sees more than 50 practical activities, most of which will be delivered this year and next, which will deliver tangible improvements for passengers and freight users. The plan stretches all the way into 2029 and was developed with input from the relevant train operators and industry bodies, including passenger groups.

Improvements are already underway. Throughout 2024, Network Rail has been delivering a programme of significant investment in infrastructure renewals and accelerated maintenance, such as replacing sections of track that are most likely to cause service delays, that is already making a significant impact for passengers and freight – overall train performance in Wales & Western has been improving on average for around five months.

The robust and evidenced plan accepted by the ORR sets out further activities that will deliver sustained, improved train service performance across Wales & Western.

Four key themes underpin the plan – sufficient planning for cumulative change, understanding the factors that are driving delay, learning from incidents, and making sure our leadership, structure, culture and governance is right.

Rob Cairns, Regional Managing Director for Network Rail Wales & Western said: “We are determined to do everything we can to provide a more reliable railway for passengers and freight and are already underway with delivering our far-reaching performance improvement plan. There are encouraging signs that that this is having a positive impact across the region, but there is much more to do. Working closely with our industry partners, we will not rest until we consistently deliver train performance at the levels that passengers rightly expect.

“We've engaged openly and transparently with the ORR throughout their investigation and are pleased that they have now accepted our performance improvement plan.”

Network Rail’s Wales and Western region includes the routes out of London Paddington towards Heathrow, Oxford, Bristol and on towards Devon and Cornwall. It also includes the rail network in Wales.