Almost 800,000 incidents of rail trouble caused passengers 14m minutes of delay - or approximately 230,000h - costing them £1bn ”minimum” in terms of lost time in 2006-7, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
Network Rail infrastructure faults, including problems with track and signal failure, accounted for 42% of the total delay. Train operators caused 38%, and external events - such as weather, or vandalism - 20%.
To resolve incidents and get trains running more quickly will require better cooperation between Network Rail and the emergency services with ”some members of the latter not knowing whom they should contact at Network Rail in an emergency” said the NAO.
It also said that although Network Rail and operators had procedures for managing incidents, contingency plans were not always available or well implemented.
A Network Rail spokesman said: ”Since Network Rail took control of the rail infrastructure some five years ago, delays to passengers have been cut by more than 30% and almost 90% of services are now running to time. The close working relationship that has been forged between Network Rail and the train operators, has, and is paying dividends. Joint improvement plans and joint control rooms are helping to reduce the impact of incidents delivering a more reliable and punctual service to the end user.
”Much work has been done to improve the interface with the emergency services, such as our joint work with the London Fire Brigade to reduce the impact of fires involving gas bottles, but there is more work to be done in this area.”
Rail watchdog Passenger Focus” latest National Passenger Survey found only 35% of passengers were happy with how train operators managed delays. Its chief executive officer Anthony Smith, commented: ”The industry demonstrated that at new year it was unable to adequately manage delays and disruptions. Our research shows some operators, such as Virgin and Merseyrail, are better at communicating with passengers at these times, but improvements have to be made.”
The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) announced a new text alert service to provide information and travel alternatives to passengers when their journeys are disrupted.
ATOC director general George Muir said: ”We have made great strides to improve punctuality and journey information. Almost eight out of ten passengers are satisfied with railway punctuality.”
Last December, ATOC published a comprehensive Good Practice Guide for Train Operating Companies to provide improved information, including announcements on stations and on trains within set time periods following a train delay incident.