Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2026 to Question 13228, what metrics her Department will use to assess whether train operators in public ownership are delivering for passengers; and whether she plans to publish performance against those metrics.

This Government is focused on ensuring that current and future operators in public ownership deliver real improvements for passengers. Working with the rail industry, we have simplified performance measurement so that track and train are aligned behind the outcomes that matter most to passengers: reliable services, fewer cancellations, and better punctuality. The principal operational metrics are therefore cancellations and Time to 3 punctuality (the proportion of trains arriving within three minutes of schedule). Performance against these metrics is published by the Office of Rail and Road for all operators, and operators in public ownership also publish performance information on their websites (https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/ ).

Operators are also assessed on the quality of service they provide. This includes customer satisfaction measures and performance under the Service Quality Regime, which assesses how well operators meet the standards passengers expect, like cleanliness and accurate and timely information.