The Office of Rail and Road has issued its first annual benchmarking of train and station operators’ passenger-assistance performance. It finds satisfaction is generally high when help is provided, but reliability varies widely, with 11% of passengers in 2024/25 receiving none of the assistance they booked. Southeastern, LNER and Network Rail were the most reliable, while Northern Trains ranked lowest. South Western Railway and West Midlands Trains performed poorly enough to trigger formal capability-to-improve assessments and must submit action plans; WMT also faces an independent review. ORR has opened a licence investigation into Northern after discovering around 800 passenger-facing staff had not completed required #disability awareness training. From 2026 the regulator will broaden its framework to include confidence after assistance, staff-training compliance and Turn Up and Go performance. ORR says reliable assistance is vital as demand continues to grow.
https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/rail-passenger-assistance-ranked-first-time-orr-regulator-investigates-northern-trains