Network Rail must remain focused on delivering improvements in train performance as it has acknowledged that it will miss key annual performance requirements, the Office of Rail Regulation said today.
The latest Network Rail monitor (for the third quarter covering 17 October – 8 January 2011), which provides an overview of the company’s most recent performance, confirms that it will miss regulatory requirements covering punctuality, delays and cancellations. Performance slipped in autumn, and was seriously affected by the severe winter weather, despite great efforts by many people across the railways which kept services running.
Where Network Rail fails to meet regulatory targets, it must provide the regulator with robust evidence that it has taken all reasonably practical steps to achieve required levels of performance.
ORR chief executive Bill Emery said:
“Over recent years Network Rail has worked with the rail industry to improve performance on Britain’s railway and has raised expectations of what our railways should be delivering.
“Recent performance, however, has not been good enough. Network Rail will miss many of its annual performance targets this year.
“The company is coming in to explain what went wrong and why, and what it is doing to restore performance.”
