Office of Rail & Road news
News about the Office of Rail & Road, which regulates the UK railway industry.
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News‘Turning point’ reached for potential new Channel Tunnel train operators
EUROPE: The rail industry has finally reached a ‘turning point’ which will facilitate the launch of new international passenger train operators competing with Eurostar on routes to the UK.
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Rail Business UKCo-operatively owned Go-op approved to launch open access train services
UK: The rail regulator has approved co-operatively owned start-up Go-op’s plans to launch open access passenger train services between Swindon, Taunton and Weston-super-Mare. The Office of Rail & Road has agreed to Go-op’s application for a track access contract with Network Rail, but has set conditions ...
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Rail Business UKTrain operators’ revenue protection to be reviewed following ‘egregious’ prosecutions
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has asked the Office of Rail & Road to undertake an independent review of the way train operators tackle suspected fare evasion.
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Rail Business UKStation operators told to improve help point reliability
UK: Station operators need to improve the management of passenger help points to address poor reliability, according the Office of Rail & Road. The regulator said 83% of stations on the national network have help points enabling passengers to speak to a member of staff. An ...
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Rail Business UKORR calls on Network Rail to improve Eastern region performance
UK: Network Rail has agreed to produce a plan by December 20 2024 setting out it will work with the wider industry to improve punctuality and reliability for passenger and freight trains across its Eastern region. This comes at the request of the Office of Rail ...
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Rail Business UKRegulator accepts Network Rail’s plan to address performance issues
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has accepted Network Rail’s detailed plan to address underlying issues leading to poor train reliability and punctuality in the Wales & Western region. An ORR investigation found that Network Rail was not doing all it reasonably could to improve. The ...
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Rail Business UKRail freight up 7%
UK: The Office of Rail & Road reports that freight transported by rail totalled 4·18 billion net tonne-km in April to June 2024, an increase of 7% on the same quarter last year. The proportion of freight trains cancelled or arriving after 15 min was 7·6%. ...
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Rail Business UKMore focus on passenger welfare is needed when trains are stranded
UK: The rail industry’s plans for dealing with trains stranded between stations need greater focus on passenger experience and welfare, according to a report commissioned by regulator the Office of Rail & Road and watchdog Transport Focus. The report produced by consultancy Steer examined four incidents ...
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Rail Business UKDashboard to facilitate more efficient use of the rail network
UK: Industry regulator the Office of Rail & Road has published a track access dashboard which it hopes will help Network Rail and train operators make more efficient use of the network. The dashboard gives an overview of how the industry is using available capacity and ...
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Rail Business UKTrain ticket refund fee capped at £5
UK: The maximum fee that train operators and ticket retailers can charge when an unused ticket is refunded was reduced from £10 to £5 on April 1. The change follows a review by the Office of Rail & Road which found that 5·8 million tickets were ...
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Rail Business UKStation lift reliability needs to be improved, says regulator
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has raised concern over the rate of station lift faults, and it is to review of Network Rail’s processes to ensure it is taking appropriate measures to plan and carry out maintenance and repairs. ORR says there are 1 ...
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Rail Business UKRegulator secures fee transparency from third-party rail ticket retailers
UK: The Office of Rail & Road says third-party ticket retailers have responded positively to its December 2023 report which said some were not sufficiently transparent about the additional fees they charge. ORR said it has had constructive engagement from MyTrainTicket, Omio, Raileasy, Rail Europe, Trainhugger, ...
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Rail Business UKLondon – Stirling open access train service approved
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has given the go-ahead for Grand Union Trains to launch an open access passenger service between London and Stirling. Access rights have been approved from June 2025 to June 2030. ORR said the services would use existing off-lease diesel ...
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Rail Business UKRail regulator identifies how assistance for disabled passengers needs to improve
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has identified ways in which the provision of assistance for disabled passengers needs to be improved, following audits of how five operators are meeting regulatory requirements. ORR chose East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway, Greater Anglia, LNER and Northern ...
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Rail Business UKRichard Hines named next Chief Inspector of Railways
UK: Richard Hines is to succeed Ian Prosser as HM Chief Inspector of Railways in summer 2024, the Office of Rail & Road announced on December 18. Hines is currently a Deputy Chief Inspector, and heads ORR’s team of non-main line health and safety inspectors as ...
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Rail Business UKTrain ticket retailers told to make booking fees clearer
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has written to seven online ticket retailers expressing concerns about ‘drip pricing’, when customers are shown an initial price with additional fees revealed later in the sales process. There are more than 40 retailers selling rail tickets online, split ...
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Rail Business UKRegulator approves Network Rail’s £43·1bn five-year plan
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has published its final determination setting out how Network Rail plans to use the £43·1bn being made available to fund infrastructure operation, maintenance and renewal during the five-year Control Period 7 starting on April 1 2024. Network Rail has ...
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Rail Business UKBetter crowd management needed at London Euston station, says ORR
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has issued Network Rail with an improvement notice for London Euston station, saying the infrastructure manager has failed to put in place effective measures to prevent risks from overcrowding and surges. ORR made a site visit after analysing CCTV ...
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Rail Business UKClearer information and more flexibility needed when trains are cancelled
UK: The Office of Rail & Road says ticket retailers need to improve the clarity of messages notifying passengers of changes to train services they have advance bookings for. The regulator also wants operators to consider offer more flexibility when trains are cancelled, to give passengers ...
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Rail Business UKTimetable confirmation deadline to remain at 12 weeks
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has decided not to proceed with two changes to Network Rail’s network licence, after receiving mixed responses to the proposals. The first of the changes prompted by Network Rail’s Better Timetables for Passengers & Freight reform programme would have ...