Worst train companies to be named and shamed

[LNW-GW Joint]

Looking at the Reading poster image in the DfT announcement, XC are the worst for punctuality (70.2%) but Elizabeth Line the worst for cancellations (7.9%).
The table is sorted by punctuality, whereas I would suggest cancellations are the more important statistic.
NR's Western Route is posted with 81.4% punctuality, and 3.8% for cancellations.
Presumably it's their share of the performance on GW routes (ie everything at Reading except towards Staines/Basingstoke, which are Wessex routes).

 

[Taplowgreen]

Well there's no shortage of contenders for the #1 spot of "worst train company"!

 

[Sealink]

It's a bit weird, if you look at Wick Station you'd think ScotRail brilliant(ish)... Thurso, not so much

WICK (Time to 3%): 68.7% Cancelled: 1.1%

GEORGEMAS JUNCTION (Time to 3%): 67% Cancelled: 3%

THURSO (Time to 3%): 70.4% Cancelled: 7.6%

 

[Horizon22]

As mentioned, this is already available on any operator I have wanted to check on their website. Although better if it’s more specific to a station.

Don’t have any particular issue with it so long as it doesn’t take away space or critically limited digital resources at stations away from passenger information.

 

[Snow1964]

It would be nice if they reflected on whether the cancellations were caused by the train company, or an external factor such as infrastructure failures. It's no use naming and shaming if the responsibility isn't the train companies fault.

Data is there table 4.4

varies by operator from 19% to 87% due to own cause

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/p41ee2qs/performance_stats_release_2024-25_q3.pdf

 

[styles]

Data is there table 4.4

varies by operator from 19% to 87% due to own cause

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/p41ee2qs/performance_stats_release_2024-25_q3.pdf

As low as 15% - Hull Trains!

 

[positron]

Actually three stations in the ORR top ten for cancellations are in Wales - Birchgrove, Rhiwbina and Whitchurch (Cardiff), all on the Coryton line in Cardiff.

That line was dire when I used it - or tried to use it - to get to work 20-odd years ago. Trains were only every half an hour (as they still are), so cancellations, late trains and non-stop running to Coryton on the way up often meant lengthy delays. Indeed the line, and the bus services that ran anywhere near my work, were so bad that it was actually quicker for me to walk the 4 miles there and the 4 miles back.

It doesn't sound as though it's much better now.

Not great for TfW when they're actively trying get the metro up, publicising it etc. Which won't actually do much for that line beyond new trains...

Maybe it'll force some action into actually improving that infrastructure but doubtful.

 

[riceuten]

It’s the same motivation that a certain type of politician (from all parties) that obsess over ‘league tables’ thinking that publishing it will somehow motivate the school/hospital/child to perform better, which in almost all cases is complete rubbish.

And yet so-called 'nationalisation' is being pushed as some sort of miracle cure for all the railway's failings which anyone with an ounce of insight can see is clearly nonsense.

And privatisation has been such a stellar success…

 

[12LDA28C]

And privatisation has been such a stellar success…

It seemed to be doing pretty well before Covid and what we have now is demonstrably worse.

 

[Andyh82]

The aim is probably to roll the pitch for "underperforming" private operators to be "nationalised".
Blaming the TOCs hides the problems Network Rail faces with its infrastructure, often the underlying causes of delay and cancellation, and also hides DfT decisions on resourcing the TOCs.

Peter Hendy has recently said one serious problem is the national shortage of drivers.
That won't be fixed in a hurry.

I agree, it’s just setting the stall out for nationalisation

By attributing every single delay and cancellation to the operator, it will keep hammering home that the operators are the issue and the railways should be nationalised

I think many people even still think the TOCs controlled by the government are still in private hands (There will be a signalling failure at Manchester Victoria and people will take to twitter to demand that Northern is nationalised, copying in Andy Burnham). Politicians are happy for this confusion to continue as it takes the heat off them.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Presumably, when nationalisation is complete the ‘worst’ operators will commonly just be listed as Great British Railways, Transport for Wales, ScotRail, Transport for London and Merseyrail? Or is the ‘hope’ that open access operators with very few trains with then be (statistically) the worst?

 

[Western 52]

The BBC highlights 3 stations on the Coryton line for cancellations but not Coryton itself. Maybe due to trains skipping stops when late as well as the ones that turn back at Ty Glas when very late?

 

[lordbusiness]

Can we have similar displays outside Parliament and Government Offices giving performance details for MPs and Civil Servants please?

 

[1D54]

Looking at the Reading poster image in the DfT announcement, XC are the worst for punctuality (70.2%) but Elizabeth Line the worst for cancellations (7.9%).

Thing is if a Lizzy line train is cancelled you only have to wait a matter of minutes for the next one. There is probably not another line in the country where the same can be said.

 

[Jimini]

Thing is if a Lizzy line train is cancelled you only have to wait a matter of minutes for the next one. There is probably not another line in the country where the same can be said.

30 mins at Reading...

 

[Mcr Warrior]

There is probably not another line in the country where the same can be said.

Thameslink (central core) perhaps?

 

[Falcon1200]

It would be nice if they reflected on whether the cancellations were caused by the train company, or an external factor such as infrastructure failures.

Also then show incidents external to the railway altogether, eg trespass, vandalism, bridge strikes, level crossing misuse, etc

 

[DynamicSpirit]

The whole idea is daft. Who cares about performance at stations? If I want to know how likely my journey is to be disrupted, then the relevant statistic is the performance along the route I'm travelling, not the performance at the station I leave from, or the operator I'm travelling with.

At my local station, Abbey Wood, the new station performance date gives separate stats for SouthEastern and for the operator described as, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express (GTR). Aside from that any non-rail-enthusiast's head is going to explode when confronted with that operator name, separating out the operators like that is basically no help at all for me if I'm travelling to - say - Charlton or London Bridge or Dartford where my train could be operated by either company. Add to that that the presentation doesn't make it clear whether the statistics cover all that operator's services, or just the ones that serve Abbey Wood.

Rather than spending money on these useless extra displays, I'd much rather the Government did something useful at my local station, such as getting TfL to have their Elizabeth line departure boards display the next train (as opposed to displaying whatever train will be the next train after the one due to leave in 2 minutes time and which is the one that would be most useful for me to catch has left)

 

[dk1]

GA only get a mention for Buckenham, but then again only to say how fabulous we are.

 

[jammmmmsssssss]

GA only get a mention for Buckenham, but then again only to say how fabulous we are.

They've been running quite a large ad campaign saying that 94% of their trains arrive within 3 mins

 

[dk1]

They've been running quite a large ad campaign saying that 94% of their trains arrive within 3 mins

And we do On target to hit 80 million passenger journeys this year too. Let the others weep at the thought.

 

[JordR]

If you want to manage performance, punish the TOC by forcing a 20% fare reduction for 90 days and ban bonuses for the leadership for 12 months.

Fare reduction already covered by others, but banning bonuses in private companies would be ridiculous micromanagement and would just lead to the same sums being pushed into basic pay with no performance qualifiers at all.

At my local station, Abbey Wood, the new station performance date gives separate stats for SouthEastern and for the operator described as, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express (GTR). Aside from that any non-rail-enthusiast's head is going to explode when confronted with that operator name, separating out the operators like that is basically no help at all for me if I'm travelling to - say - Charlton or London Bridge or Dartford where my train could be operated by either company. Add to that that the presentation doesn't make it clear whether the statistics cover all that operator's services, or just the ones that serve Abbey Wood.

Little value in breaking it down by TOC at all in this circumstance as it's not going to impact decision making. No one in their right mind is going to skip a GTR train for a later Southeastern (or vice versa) to the same destination because of a theoretical higher probability of delay!

 

[12LDA28C]

Fare reduction already covered by others, but banning bonuses in private companies would be ridiculous micromanagement and would just lead to the same sums being pushed into basic pay with no performance qualifiers at all.

Ridiculous micromanagement you say? Welcome to the Government-funded railway in 2024. Things can only get worse under GBR.

 

[JordR]

Ridiculous micromanagement you say? Welcome to the Government-funded railway in 2024. Things can only get worse under GBR.

True enough, I've probably just invited it actually happening.

 

[WAB]

Though two stations in the ORR top ten for cancellations in January (listed in the BBC item) are in Wales.

Not surprising, as the three ways of recovering trains for the Coryton line are turning at Ty Glas, fast to/from Coryton, or not running it all. All of these hit the three intermediate stations.

Given there's a three minute margin at Heath jn between the first train coming off the branch and the second going onto the branch, and a five minute turnaround at Coryton, it's easy to see why there are as many cancellations as there are. If a train was allowed to be run more than four minutes late, then unless I'm missing something, it'd lead to the next branch train being sat on the mainline awaiting the road onto the branch.

 

[REO Nate]

Data is there table 4.4

varies by operator from 19% to 87% due to own cause

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/p41ee2qs/performance_stats_release_2024-25_q3.pdf

Yes, what I meant was at the stations, when they display it on the boards for all to see.

Its no use naming and shaming on the station concourse, when its not the TOCs fault. It would be useful if on the board they also included that information, so people could see when its an infrastructure fault, because people aren't going to go and look it up themselves.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Logically, one would have thought that if it gets trains cancelled, all the other stations on that route (where it's a single operator) should have the same figure.

Ince & Elton is the only station on that route that is a) open and b) not served by other operators. Ellesmere Port and Helsby have frequent trains from other operators/routes, and Stanlow & Thornton is closed because of a dangerous footbridge.

I seriously doubt the statistics for Ince & Elton though. It's got a very infrequent service, essentially a Parliamentary service, and it's always been the first one to be cancelled by Northern.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Ince & Elton is the only station on that route that is a) open and b) not served by other operators. Ellesmere Port and Helsby have frequent trains from other operators/routes, and Stanlow & Thornton is closed because of a dangerous footbridge.

I seriously doubt the statistics for Ince & Elton though. It's got a very infrequent service, essentially a Parliamentary service, and it's always been the first one to be cancelled by Northern.

Ellesmere Port is at #10 on the worst cancellations list.
That might be for the same reasons you mention, but there might also be a Merseyrail aspect - it is often the first casualty if ME needs to cut services.

 

[LYuen]

Ellesmere Port is at #10 on the worst cancellations list.
That might be for the same reasons you mention, but there might also be a Merseyrail aspect - it is often the first casualty if ME needs to cut services.

Cancellation rate for Merseyrail is 9.1%, much lower than Northern's 22.8%
If there wasn't Merseyrail it was much worse

 

[Annetts key]

It’s the same motivation that a certain type of politician (from all parties) that obsess over ‘league tables’ thinking that publishing it will somehow motivate the school/hospital/child to perform better, which in almost all cases is complete rubbish.

Yes, I'd agree. This scheme is not particularly helpful for passengers IMHO. There are so many reasons for delays and cancellations.

And privatisation has been such a stellar success…

Privatisation is part of the problem. As was the various tinkering carried out by government under the previous administration. Including the mismanagement by the DfT.

Nationalisation on its own clearly cannot fix all the problems. But it may help with some of them.

To really make a big difference does require the railway to be seen as and treated as a complete system. You need a fully staffed railway with enough staff to run it. Enough trains / rolling stock. Well maintained trains / rolling stock and infrastructure. And for the future, reliable equipment including trains / rolling stock and infrastructure.

Hopefully at the very least, we will get a properly coordinated plan for new trains instead of the mess that we have had since privatisation. And hopefully GBR will be allowed to run the system without too much interference from the dreadful DfT.

It seemed to be doing pretty well before Covid and what we have now is demonstrably worse.

Um, the railway had bucket loads of problems before COVID19. Go back and look at the records. We had the failure of Railtrack plus various poorly performing TOCs.

Rather ironically, IIRC reliability was quite good during the times of the "lock downs". Mainly due to less booked services, hence recovery was easier. And less problems due to a lack of staff.

What's happened since COVID19 is many of the problems that previously existed (but may not have been visable) have got worse plus we have new problems and they have all accumulated to create the mess that we have today.

Network Rail won't admit it, but I hear that many maintenance managers off the record say that Modernising Maintenance is causing lots of problems.

With less maintenance staff, response times for attending infrastructure failures has become worse. And in places, it was already longer than when Railtrack or BR existed.

Can we have similar displays outside Parliament and Government Offices giving performance details for MPs and Civil Servants please?

Absolutely no point including Civil Servants. They are not elected. And exactly how would you rate them?

But yes, for MPs, yes, attendance figures and voting figures would be helpful and entertaining. But they should also be displayed in the town's and cities of their constituencies. They could be compared to the average and best (top ten) figures.