News

Following ORR calling out its poor performance on reliability of its assistance to disabled passengers, train operator Northern has now provided the rail regulator with an acceptable action plan that sets out how they will improve passenger assistance.

ORR's latest analysis provides an important check on the costs of delivering rail infrastructure maintenance and renewals.

The latest statistics from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show that train fare revenue between April 2023 and March 2024 rose by 14% to £10.4 billion compared to the previous twelve months, but at a slower rate than passenger journeys, which rose 16%. This is partly because passengers are making shorter journeys overall.

The Office of Rail and Road has today confirmed that London Liverpool Street station has retained its title as Great Britain’s most used railway station in 2023-24, gaining more than 14 million entries and exits since the previous year. Denton railway station in Greater Manchester becomes the least used station in Great Britain, at 54 entries and exits.

The rail regulator has given the go ahead for new train services between Swindon, Taunton and Weston-super-Mare from the end of 2025. The regulator has also set conditions on its approval to ensure the new, co-operatively owned operator has sufficient finance and rolling stock in place in good time.

Operators need to make improvements to their management of passenger help points at stations, says the rail regulator, after a report highlights poor reliability and monitoring of service quality, particularly for stations in England.