Great Western Coffee Shop

Over the past year, both rail passengers and train and station operators have continued to feel the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nevertheless, passenger numbers were more than double the previous year and we have worked hard to ensure that passengers can feel confident about the experience they can expect when travelling by rail.

We have made good progress in reviewing our expectations on operators, implementing changes that will reduce barriers to travel for disabled people, improve access to Delay Repay compensation, and enable passengers to plan their journeys with more confidence. Further change is underway for early 2023, driving improvements in operators’ complaints handling processes and bringing sponsorship of the Rail Ombudsman into the Office Rail and Road (ORR).

The pandemic has had some ongoing impacts on industry performance. However, we have maintained our expectations and held operators to account for fair and transparent interactions with passengers, the quality of their passenger information and services for disabled passengers, and the management of complaints and Delay Repay claims.

As passenger numbers continue to recover, and as the Government progresses its rail reform agenda, securing improvements in the services that train and station operators offer their customers will continue to be a central part of our role as an independent regulator.