Network Rail to improve Western train reliability

Network Rail has addressed issues around poor train reliability and punctuality

Network Rail has successfully addressed issues around poor train reliability and punctuality in Western England and Wales, the regulator has said.

The routes includes trains in and out of London Paddington into the south west of England and Wales.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) had said the train service performance in the region has "not been good enough for its customers in recent years".

Now, the regulator has accepted Network Rail's plan to address those issues.

It includes improvements to the timetable, the forecasting of extreme weather events and investing in staff.

Feras Alshaker, director at ORR, said: "We are pleased with the detailed work Network Rail has done to create a clear, workable plan that should sort out the underlying issues and deliver sustained improvement for passengers.

"Passenger train performance in the Wales and Western region has been letting customers down for too long.

"We pushed for this plan to be comprehensive and region-wide, and it is. We will be watching to make sure Network Rail delivers on its promises to passengers."

The majority of the plan should be completed by 2026.