Rail Operators Independently Ranked on Passenger Assistance

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its first annual benchmarking report on train and station operators’ delivery of passenger assistance. 

The findings highlight that while passengers are generally satisfied with the standard of assistance when it is delivered, delivery itself can be unreliable with 11% of passengers reporting that they received none of the assistance they booked in 2024/25. 

ORR assessed 14 train operators plus Network Rail for their reliability of assistance delivery and for passenger satisfaction from 2022 to 2025. Southeastern, LNER and Network Rail delivered the highest reliability, closely followed by Avanti West Coast.

Two operators who underperformed on key criteria (South Western Railway and West Midlands Trains) were also assessed separately on their capability to improve and asked to provide action plans. 

“Passenger assistance is essential for many older and disabled people,” said Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s director of policy, strategy and reform. 

“When it works well, it gives freedom and confidence. But as our reporting shows, there are too many instances where the service has not been delivered as promised, which can have serious consequences for the passenger.

“We are seeing demand for assistance grow. It’s essential that operators meet passenger needs and we’ve taken action on the poorest performing operators to ensure that the reliability and consistency of service for their passengers improves.” 

From 2026, ORR plans to expand the benchmarking framework to include new data sources and measures - such as post-assistance passenger confidence, staff training compliance, Turn Up and Go reliability, and Passenger Assistance app feedback. 

To find out more visit https://www.orr.gov.uk/