The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) seeks a fresh strategy from Network Rail due to rising delays in the Eastern region.
- Delays in the Eastern region linked to Network Rail have surged from 2.4 million to 3.3 million minutes annually in two years.
- The East Coast Main Line and East Midlands route experience significant delays, while the Anglia route remains relatively stable.
- Network Rail is tasked with collaborating with train operators to create a comprehensive plan addressing these delays.
- The improvement plan is expected to be submitted by 20 December 2024, drawing on strategies from other successful regions.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has highlighted a worrying increase in delays within the Eastern region attributed to Network Rail, stressing the need for a revised performance improvement plan. Delays have alarmingly increased from 2.4 million to 3.3 million minutes per year over the past two years, signalling a decline in punctuality and reliability that continues to stray further from set targets.
While the problem is not uniformly spread across the region, the East Coast Main Line has seen a particular rise in incidents causing delays for both passengers and freight. The East Midlands route has similarly suffered from a notable decrease in on-time train arrivals. Conversely, the Anglia route largely maintains its performance, though London Overground and freight trains on the North London/Mildmay line have encountered significant setbacks.
ORR emphasises the critical role train operators play in enhancing service quality but stresses that Network Rail must sharpen its focus on mitigating its contributions to these delays. Network Rail is urged to adopt a whole-system approach, collaborating with operators and stakeholders to address these performance issues comprehensively.
Network Rail Eastern has committed to delivering an improvement plan by 20 December 2024. This plan aims to incorporate lessons from Network Rail’s Wales and Western region, which had previously submitted an acceptable improvement plan after initial failures and was plagued with asset maintenance and renewal challenges.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR Director of Strategy, observed a trend of rising delays affecting passengers and freight users, noting the need for a fresh perspective to address these challenges. She expressed optimism with Network Rail’s dedication to integrating passenger and freight operators into the solution process, aiming for lasting improvements in punctuality and reliability.
Paul McKeown, Acting Managing Director of Network Rail Eastern, acknowledged the performance issues and welcomed ORR’s recognition of the efforts to improve service quality. He underscored the ongoing work towards broader improvements to counter the unique challenges spread across their extensive region.
Network Rail is tasked with developing a strategic plan to improve Eastern region train services, with a deadline set for December 2024.
