Richard has been advised by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) that they have written to Network Rail calling for a renewed performance improvement plan for its Eastern region.
According to the ORR, delays in the region, which includes the East Coast Mainline, caused by Network Rail itself have risen significantly, from 2.4 million to 3.3 million minutes per year over the past two years. Punctuality and reliability of services has continued to decline and the region is forecasting further worsening, compared to its targets.
Network Rail Eastern has agreed to produce an improvement plan by 20th December 2024. ORR has advised the company to review the approach taken by Network Rail’s Wales & Western region, which developed a comprehensive improvement plan earlier this year, following an investigation by ORR.
Crucially, ORR is calling for the plan to take a whole-system approach, with Network Rail needing to work closely with train operators and other stakeholders to holistically address performance concerns.
For more information, please visit the ORR website here.
