Written question asked by Will Forster (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 11 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 June 2026 (named day). It was answered by Keir Mather (Labour) on Wednesday, 17 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Train Operating Companies: Standards

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will set out the key performance indicators her Department uses to assess changes in the level of performance for train operators following nationalisation; and whether she has set targets for improvement.

Answer: Working with the industry, the new Services Agreements for public sector operators consolidate the myriad of performance measures so that both track and train can focus on the same measures of success. The most important indicators are train cancellations and punctuality (as measured by how many trains arrive within three minutes of schedule). Targets are negotiated each year as part of the Annual Business Planning process with each operator, taking into account the particular circumstances foreseen in the year ahead. In addition, there are a number of measures and key performance indicators covering customer, operations and finance.

Secondary information