It falls to the independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) to determine and monitor delivery of the targets to improve Network Rail's renewals efficiency, which the ORR sets for each five-year control period.
All train operating companies are required through their franchise agreements to participate in the National Passenger Survey which measures passenger satisfaction. Passenger Focus publish the results on their website:
http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/research/nps/content.asp.
National Passenger Survey targets are set for the following franchises: Arriva Trains Wales; Chiltern Railways; Southern and TransPennine Express. These train operating companies are required to produce and implement action plans related to their National Passenger Survey results as required. The National Passenger Survey targets are found in the franchise agreements for each of these train operating companies, available on the DfT website:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/publicregister/current.
National Passenger Survey targets are not set for other train operating companies. Other train operating companies (except for c2c) measure the inputs to passenger satisfaction in a service quality management system. They may still be required to produce and implement action plans related to their National Passenger Survey results as required.
c2c have targets, and are required to produce action plans as required, based on their own Customer Satisfaction Survey (not National Passenger Survey). The targets are in the c2c franchise agreement which is available on the DfT website:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/publicregister/current
Performance against the targets is shown in the following tables.
2006 2007 January April July October January April July October CSS factors corresponding with NPS Top 12 Factors Punctuality 94 96 96 97 93 96 97 97 Benchmark to 04/00—punctuality — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—punctuality — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—punctuality 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 Cancellations 86 90 89 90 85 87 92 90 Benchmark to 04/00—cancellations — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—cancellations — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—cancellations 81 81 81 81 81 81 81 81 Overall value for money 84 87 89 89 84 87 88 89 Benchmark to 04/00—value for money — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—value for money — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—value for money 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 Availability of information 78 81 84 81 79 75 86 81 Benchmark to 04/00—availability of information — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—availability of information — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—availability of information 78 78 78 78 78 78 78 78 Seat availability (peak) 76 82 89 78 79 79 82 77 Benchmark to 04/00—seat availability — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—seat availability — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—seat availability 78 78 78 78 78 78 78 78 Condition of stations 88 89 91 91 90 91 92 91 Benchmark to 04/00—condition of stations — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—condition of stations — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—condition of stations 91 91 91 91 91 91 91 91 CSS factors corresponding with NPS on train factors Interior cleanliness 93 96 95 95 95 94 95 94 Benchmark to 04/00—interior cleanliness — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—interior cleanliness — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—interior cleanliness 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 Exterior cleanliness 95 96 96 97 96 97 97 96 Benchmark to 04/00—exterior cleanliness — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—exterior cleanliness — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—exterior cleanliness 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 Other CSS factors/factors corresponding with both NPS station & on train factors Helpfulness of staff 91 91 94 92 95 93 93 93 Benchmark to 04/00—helpfulness of staff — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—helpfulness of staff — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—helpfulness of staff 92 92 92 92 92 92 92 92 Quality of service improving 68 76 76 77 68 72 75 74 Benchmark to 04/00—quality of service improving — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—quality of service improving — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—quality of service improving 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 Meeting customer needs 79 82 82 84 82 83 85 85 Benchmark to 04/00—meeting customer needs — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—meeting customer needs — — — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—meeting customer needs 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85
January April July Benchmark Better = + Worse = - Year on year CSS factors corresponding with NPS Top 12 Factors Punctuality 96 96 98 90 + + Benchmark to 04/00—punctuality — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—punctuality — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—punctuality 90 90 90 — — — Cancellations 88 88 89 81 + - Benchmark to 04/00—cancellations — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—cancellations — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—cancellations 81 81 81 — — — Overall value for money 86 86 89 85 + + Benchmark to 04/00—value for money — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—value for money — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—value for money 85 85 85 — — — Availability of information 78 78 86 78 + = Benchmark to 04/00—availability of information — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—availability of information — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—availability of information 78 78 78 — — — Seat availability (peak) 74 74 82 78 + = Benchmark to 04/00—seat availability — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—seat availability — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—seat availability 78 78 78 — — — Condition of stations 90 90 91 91 = - Benchmark to 04/00—condition of stations — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—condition of stations — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—condition of stations 91 91 91 — — — CSS factors corresponding with NPS on train factors Interior cleanliness 95 95 97 90 + + Benchmark to 04/00—interior cleanliness — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—interior cleanliness — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—interior cleanliness 90 90 90 — — — Exterior cleanliness 97 97 97 90 + = Benchmark to 04/00—exterior cleanliness — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—exterior cleanliness — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—exterior cleanliness 90 90 90 — — — Other CSS factors/factors corresponding with both NPS station & on train factors Helpfulness of staff 92 92 93 92 + = Benchmark to 04/00—helpfulness of staff — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—helpfulness of staff — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—helpfulness of staff 92 92 92 — — — Quality of service improving 73 73 73 70 + - Benchmark to 04/00—quality of service improving — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—quality of service improving — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—quality of service improving 70 70 70 — — — Meeting customer needs 83 83 84 85 - - Benchmark to 04/00—meeting customer needs — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/00—meeting customer needs — — — — — — Benchmark from 04/03—meeting customer needs 85 85 85 — — —
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made no estimate of trends in the possession disruption indices for passenger and rail freight services over the next five years.
However, the independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has set performance trajectories for Network Rail in its document, published on 30 October 2008, “Periodic review 2008: Determination of Network Rail’s outputs and funding for 2009-14”. The effect is to require a progressive reduction in disruption to passengers so that by the end of Control Period 4 (2014) there is 37 per cent. less disruption to passengers than in 2007-08, and, at the same time, no increase in the level of disruption experienced by freight operators. Further details can be found on page 53 onwards of the document which is available on the ORR’s website at:
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/383.pdf.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not estimated the economic cost of rail service delays in the first six months of the 2008-09 financial year.
However, at the end of the first six periods of 2008-09 the industry's annual reliability and punctuality performance measured by the public performance measure (PPM) had reached 90.4 per cent. in England and Wales, a 1.8 per cent. improvement on the previous year. The Government's high level output specification requires the industry to achieve public performance measure of 92.6 per cent. by 2014.
The Department for Transport does not manage the detailed approach to track maintenance including re-railing.
This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his questions:
Iain Coucher
Chief Executive
Network Rail
Kings Place
90 York Way
London
N1 9AG.