Advance train timetable and seat reservation information
8 March 2005
ORR/08/05
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has secured additional commitments from Network Rail to provide accurate and timely information on changes to the national timetable so that passengers can book tickets and reservations well in advance of travel.
ORR has required Network Rail to commit to:
- additional staffing at train planning offices;
- developing individual recovery plans with each train operating company (TOC);
- additional steps to ensure accuracy of uploaded timetables, allowing TOCs to open service for booking quickly after timetable information is made available; and
- a review of the whole process to make it more effective in meeting the differing needs of rail users – passengers and freight.
Network Rail is required by its licence to provide accurate information on changes to the timetable to TOCs twelve weeks in advance, with TOCs providing information to rail users and opening services for booking no later than nine weeks in advance – the ‘informed traveller’ requirement. In September last year, Network Rail committed to a recovery plan to restore compliance with this obligation by July 2005.
Experience at Christmas and New Year showed that the steps Network Rail proposed in its original recovery plan were not sufficient to deliver accurate timetable information. Although considerable progress has been made in addressing the underlying causes of the problem, a number of further issues emerged. These are being addressed by Network Rail, but the result is still clearly unsatisfactory with information on long distance services for Easter late in many cases.
There will be incidents where a service is disrupted or changed at the last minute for essential reasons, but all parties have committed to working together to achieve rapid and measurable improvement, in line with the timetable in the original recovery plan, which will restore full compliance with “Informed Traveller Timescales” by July 2005.
In the light of the additional commitments it has received, ORR has decided not to make an enforcement order and has issued a notice to this effect, as required by section 55(6) of the Railways Act 1993. ORR has written to Network Rail’s Remuneration Committee drawing its attention to the continued breach by the company of its licence, and the need to achieve its recovery plan.
Chris Bolt, ORR Chairman said:
“Network Rail’s original recovery plan has clearly failed to deliver the improvements which passengers rightly expect. ORR has secured additional commitments and the company recognises its responsibility to rail users to resolve the current problems. Network Rail and the train operators must work together to achieve this – a key test of the new roles and relationships set out in the Government’s White Paper The Future of Rail, published last July. ORR will continue to monitor delivery very closely.”
Notes for editors
- Copies of the exchange of letters between Network Rail and the ORR are available.
- The ability of passengers to book tickets in advance is affected by changes to the timetable caused by Network Rail taking possession of lines in order to maintain, renew and enhance the network.
- Under condition 9 of Network Rail’s network licence, enforced by ORR, Network Rail is required to provide accurate information about revisions to the national timetable at least twelve weeks in advance of operation. In 2004, in response to Network Rail’s non-compliance with condition 9, ORR received a commitment from Network Rail for a recovery plan that said it would achieve a staged improvement so that TOCs had an accurate timetable four weeks before Christmas and New Year (T-4), six weeks before Easter (T-6), and 12 weeks by September 2005 (T-12). Press notice: Office of Rail Regulation acts to restore advance timetable information issued 2 September 2004 is available from this website.
- Information enters timetables for advance booking following the provision of data by Network Rail. The time taken between Network Rail uploading the information and this being available to passengers depends upon the accuracy of the information, and the finalising of requests from train operators. This process can be completed in a few days, although operators are allowed under their licences up to three weeks. Therefore at T–12, passengers will have at least nine weeks’ notice.
- The present expectation for the opening of reservations amongst the main long distance operators at Easter is as reported by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) on 18 February. This showed that: GNER would be open for booking on 24 February; First Great Western would be open on 25 February for bookings up to Good Friday and bookings from Easter Saturday to the following Friday will open by Tuesday 8 March and Virgin Cross Country and Virgin West Coast would be open for booking by Friday 4 March.
- ORR issued a subsequent press notice on 11 February 2005 saying it was considering what further action was appropriate. This followed a meeting that day between ORR, Network Rail and other key industry parties, which considered a report by ORR on performance over the Christmas period. The report found that while Network Rail broadly achieved the target of providing TOCs with timetable information four weeks in advance, not all that information was of an acceptable standard. This affected some train operators’ ability to provide advance bookings for passengers, which meant many passengers were unable to reserve seats even three weeks in advance of Christmas.
- Press notice: Office of Rail Regulation reports on progress in complying with the requirement for advanced provision of timetable information issued 11 February 2005 and the report: Review of Delivery of Informed Traveller Requirement over the Christmas and New Year Period are available on this website.
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ORR Press Office – 020 7282 2141/2007
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