Rail accountability for passengers in Stockport
Passengers across England can now see how reliable their local train services are, as performance data showing the punctuality of trains goes live at over 1,700 stations this week, including at Stockport, Brinnington, Reddish North, Reddish South and Heaton Chapel.
Railway passengers in Stockport deserve to know what is happening on their journeys and forcing operators to make information public will mean they can’t hide any more. We have had decades of poor service on our railways but Labour is turning things around and I will continue to work hard as your Member of Parliament to boost our local economy, connect families and ensure better value for money for all passengers.
The data available to passengers, broken down by operator, shows live punctuality and cancellation statistics - the first time that station-level data has been. It is now live at major stations through digital screens, where possible, and at other stations, passengers will be able to scan a QR code to see the data online. Each station’s data can also be found on the ORR’s new data portal, which contains punctuality and reliability information for all stations in Britain.
This fulfils a commitment made by this Labour government to be fully transparent with passengers, demonstrating how the railways are working and allowing the public to hold train operators to account as we bring services into public ownership.
As well as delivering more reliable, better-quality services, these reforms will catalyse economic growth through improved connectivity, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change. By holding operators to account, they will be encouraged to drive up efficiency and productivity - providing better value for money for passengers and driving forward the government’s growth mission by delivering better connectivity.
The government is determined to drive up performance, and the Rail Minister is meeting with all train operators to address concerns and demand immediate action. In response, the industry has set out a framework with clear areas of focus, including timetable resilience and staffing, to recover performance to acceptable levels.
This announcement forms part of a wider overhaul of the railways, which will establish Great British Railways (GBR) as a new body to bring track and train together, to end years of fragmentation and waste. GBR will relentlessly focus on driving up standards for passengers, ensuring that my constituents in Stockport can always rely on our railways.
This Labour government will deliver change that can be felt, driving growth across the country by ensuring passengers can use the railways to get to work, school, appointments and see friends and family with ease.