Rail Passenger Quality Indicators

HL Deb 25 November 1996 vol 576 cc2-4WA

Lord Berkeley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Who is responsible for providing information on rail passenger quality indicators, including passengers in excess of capacity, and when such information is published; and

To list, for the last three years, the passenger quality indicators, including passengers in excess of capacity, in respect of the train operating companies, both before and after privatisation.

Viscount Goschen

Individual train operating companies are responsible for providing information on rail passenger quality indicators.

Passenger quality indicators for British Rail train operating companies are set out in the British Rail Passenger's Charter, published in March 1992. Punctuality and reliability targets have been reviewed on an annual basis and increased where appropriate. Details of the revised punctuality and reliability targets are provided in the British Railways Board Annual Report and Accounts 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96. Copies of the British Railways Board Passenger's Charter and Annual Report and Accounts are available in the Library of the House.

Franchise operators are required to introduce and publish their own passenger's charters. These charters must contain standards at least as demanding as those which applied prior to franchising. Franchise operators are also required to conduct customer satisfaction surveys at least twice a year. The surveys are based on a number of franchisee-specific benchmarks which vary depending on the nature of the service provided. Details of individual franchise operators benchmarks are set out in the relevant franchise agreement, copies of which are also available in the Library of the House. Standards relating to overcrowding and passengers in excess of capacity are also set out in the franchise agreements and franchise operators are required to plan to provide sufficient capacity to keep train loadings below these specified limits.

OPRAF published information about the performance of franchised operators on 19th November. I have placed a copy in the Library of the House.