Improvements in advance timetable information

19 July 2005
ORR/30/05

Rail passengers’ opportunities to plan their rail journeys and book seats well in advance have greatly improved, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) announced today.

ORR has been monitoring how Network Rail is improving the availability to train operators of revised timetables, relating to planned engineering work.  Under the terms of its licence, it is required to do this in normal circumstances at least  12 weeks in advance.  ORR has also been checking how train operators are passing on the information to passengers and making seat reservations available.

ORR has concluded that Network Rail has made good progress. It now has firm managerial control of its planning of engineering work and is able to provide train operators with the necessary advance notice of disruption to their services.  Network Rail has also improved its processes for producing an accurate timetable in the light of this, reflecting the needs of the train operators.

Train operators have also made substantial improvements in meeting their own licence obligations to work with Network Rail to develop the necessary timetable changes and, when these changes have been entered on the central timetable database, to make that information available to passengers nine weeks in advance as required by their licences.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has confirmed the four major inter-city train operators are now able to provide advance bookings at least nine weeks in advance.  The table published on the ORR website today gives more details.

ORR considers that Network Rail’s plan to recover compliance with its licence obligations remains appropriate. It will, however continue its monitoring to ensure that the improvements are maintained.

Chris Bolt, ORR Chairman said:

“Network Rail and train operators have worked closely together to deliver improvements in the provision of accurate and timely information on future services to passengers. But it is essential that these improvements are maintained, particularly over holiday periods.  So ORR will continue it’s monitoring, and will not hesitate to take further action if the position deteriorates.”

Notes for editors:

1. The ability of passengers to obtain travel information, make reservations and 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.
2. Under Condition 9 of Network Rail’s network licence, enforced by ORR, Network Rail is required to plan its engineering work, provide information about this work to train operators and to manage revisions to the national timetable arising from that so that accurate timetable information is always available to train operators at least twelve weeks in advance.
3. Train operators have complementary obligations in their licences to co-operate with Network Rail in the revision of their train services and to make the information to passengers available at least nine weeks in advance.
4. The systems that train operators use to manage seat and berth reservations and to sell cheaper advance purchase tickets rely on the provision of accurate advance timetable information.
5. In 2004, in response to Network Rail’s non-compliance with Condition 9, ORR received from Network Rail commitment to a recovery plan that would achieve a staged improvement in compliance culminating in timetable revisions for the end of September 2005 being provided to train operators 12 weeks in advance, at the beginning of July 2005.  Press notice: Office of Rail Regulation acts to restore advance timetable information issued 2 September 2004 is available in related links.
6. Following a review of Network Rail’s performance over the 2004 Christmas period ORR sought and received further undertakings from Network Rail regarding the steps necessary to deliver the commitments it had given.  Press notice: Advance train timetable and seat reservation information issued 8 March 2005 is available in related links.
7. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) will be commenting separately on rail travel booking horizons.

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