PASSENGER FOCUS WELCOMES PLANS ON NEW RAIL SERVICES

Passenger Focus has today welcomed proposals to run new trains and more services between London and the North East and North West of Great Britain.

The open access operators Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) and Great North Western Railway (GNWR) have applied to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) to run the new services.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: “Open access operators have brought to the network competition, lower prices, and quality services. Our latest National Passenger Survey revealed that passengers are very satisfied with the services they receive from Grand Central and Wrexham & Shropshire Railway.

“However, we think open access operators should face the same rules that apply for other operators. They should explain how they’ll compensate passengers when trains are late and publish punctuality figures so that passengers know how well these train companies are performing. “It is important that this proposal is now scrutinised to ensure that it is robust, deliverable and puts passengers at the heart of the process.

“Passenger Focus will be watching the progress of this initiative and making sure that passenger views are central to decisions made on the railway.”

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