The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its annual rail consumer report, which claims it has made progress on delivering passenger improvements, especially in the areas of accessibility and compensation.
The report shows that operators have improved services for disabled passengers, a requirement of ORR’s Accessible Travel Policy guidance.
All train operators can now take bookings for assisted travel with two hours of notice, down from 24 hours two years ago.
Website accessibility was found to be lacking for users of screen-readers or other assistive technology, especially regarding information on station accessibility.
Stephanie Tobyn, interim director of strategy, policy and reform at ORR, said: “Throughout the past year we have held train and station operators to account for fair and transparent interactions with passengers, including on the quality of their passenger information, the services they provide for disabled passengers and how they manage delay compensation claims.
“In the year ahead, we will work with the government to support the establishment of Great British Railways and a better passenger experience, and will bring the Rail Ombudsman under ORR sponsorship.”
ORR also conducted research into over 5,200 disabled passengers’ experiences with booked assistance, which revealed that overall satisfaction with the Passenger Assist Service increased to 87% in 2022.
However, the research showed that operators still need to improve their ability to provide assistance booked by disabled passengers, including assigning staff to meet them at the station and improving the time taken to book via telephone.
ORR plans to work with train operators to carry out these improvements.
During the past year, all train operators have agreed to new delay compensation standards, which were designed to make the process of submitting a claim more straightforward.
A new condition also requires train operators to provide passengers with clearer information about their entitlements to compensation when there are delays.
This includes improving the claims process and publishing data on how well they are performing in this area.
