Rail passengers across England will now be shown how often trains are cancelled and delayed at each station, with station performance stats being displayed on new screens and via QR codes.
The government said it hopes that in holding train operators to account, they will be encouraged to drive up efficiency and productivity – providing better value for money.
The data, broken down by operator, will go live at 1,700 stations today (6) for the first time.
The performance stats will show the percentage of trains cancelled and how punctual trains are at that station.
They will be displayed at major stations through digital screens, while passengers at smaller stations will be able to scan a QR code and see the data online.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the announcement “marks the beginning of a new era of rail accountability”.
She said: “These displays are a step towards rebuilding trust with passengers using our railways, as we continue to tackle the root causes of frustrating delays and cancellations.”
In February, it was reported that rail reliability across Britain was at a record low, with the equivalent of more than one in 25 services cancelled in the year to 1 February.
Independent rail consultant William Barter said it was “good” that punctuality data will now be presented with respect to individual stations, rather than arrivals at destinations, as there is “a tendency to pad timetables out with slack time immediately before the terminus”.
“This tends to make performance look good even though a train may have been late at every station until then,” he said.
Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said the transparency drive sends “a clear message to customers the rail sector is committed to improving punctuality and to find solutions to make train services more reliable”.
The decline in train reliability comes at a time of rising rail fares, which will go up again by 4.6% next week, while rail cards will also become more expensive.
Labour is planning to nationalise passenger rail services, with the first coming into public ownership in May 2025, with the aim of nationalisation helping to improve reliability rather than reduce ticket costs.
