The media

Options to reduce the time passengers must wait before seeking a resolution with the Rail Ombudsman is among a set of proposals being consulted on by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to improve handling of passenger complaints.

WH Malcolm Limited, operators of Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal near Rugby, has been fined £6.5 million after being found guilty of negligence over the death of an 11-year-old boy in 2017.

The Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) annual assessment of Highways England finds the company hit its performance targets in 2020-21, the first year (April 1 2020 to March 31 2021) of the second road period, but ORR warns of the need to address delays to some key projects and subsequent forecast underspends.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has today published its 2020-21 annual assessments of rail safety in Great Britain and of Network Rail’s performance.

The Office of Rail and Road’s annual assessment of Network Rail Scotland’s performance in 2020-21 highlights a difficult year for the region. The derailment of a ScotRail service at Carmont, near Stonehaven, in which three people died, tragically demonstrates the need for Network Rail to make sure that railway assets are resilient to the impacts of extreme weather and climate change.

The Office of Rail and Road’s annual assessment of Network Rail’s performance shows the Wales and Western region was able to complete upgrade and renewal work despite the pandemic. The regulator also highlights the need for improvements to track worker safety and the examination of structures, in the region.

The Office of Rail and Road’s annual assessment of Network Rail shows a renewed focus by the North West & Central region towards improving punctuality and reliability. And despite the pandemic, the region was able to complete upgrade and renewal work.

The Office of Rail and Road’s annual assessment of Network Rail shows safety performance in the Eastern region has been good as it continues to work towards improving the safety of its workforce. The region has also managed its infrastructure well with fewer failures on the network in the last year.

The Office of Rail and Road’s annual assessment of Network Rail’s performance shows the Southern region worked innovatively to carry out necessary maintenance and engineering works despite the challenges of the pandemic. The Southern region was Network Rail’s best performer overall against its company wide targets, which include metrics for operational delivery and asset performance.