UK Rail Regulator Cracks Down on ‘Unreliable’ Passenger Assistance as Service Failures Hit 11%

LONDON, UK – The UK’s Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has uncovered significant failings in passenger assistance services, with a new report revealing that 11% of pre-booked assistance was not delivered in 2024/25. This regulatory action, which includes a formal licence investigation into one operator, comes as the wider European rail sector grapples with systemic reliability issues, highlighting a continent-wide challenge in passenger service delivery amid tightening financial constraints.

The ORR has published a comprehensive report detailing systemic unreliability in the delivery of assistance for disabled and older passengers across Great Britain’s rail network. While the regulator noted that passengers are generally satisfied with the quality of help when it is provided, the findings from 2022 to 2025 show that the service is frequently not delivered as promised. The report has led to two operators being required to submit detailed improvement plans by early 2026. “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.”

A critical failure highlighted by the ORR involves a formal licence investigation into one operator where a significant training gap was discovered in August 2025. Approximately 800 passenger-facing staff had not completed mandatory disability awareness training, raising serious questions about the duration and impact of this oversight. The investigation will probe the circumstances that led to the training gap and seek assurance of its rectification. This specific operational breakdown mirrors broader service reliability struggles seen across Europe. In Germany, state-owned Deutsche Bahn is now among the continent’s least punctual services, frequently plagued by technical problems and service mix-ups, demonstrating that even major state-backed operators are struggling with core service delivery.

The ORR’s enforcement actions are set against a challenging economic backdrop for the UK rail industry. The need for sustained investment in training, monitoring, and operational oversight clashes with the financial pressures felt throughout the supply chain. For instance, key contractor Babcock Rail reported a £5.2m pre-tax loss for the year ending 31 March 2025, citing a slowdown in rail framework work and reduced client budgets. Such financial strain on major suppliers can have downstream effects on the resources available to operators for non-capital-intensive but crucial areas like comprehensive staff training and service quality assurance, potentially contributing to the very failures the ORR report identifies.

Key Takeaways

• Significant Service Failure: 1 in 9 booked assistance requests failed to be delivered in 2024/25, prompting a major regulatory review by the ORR.
• Systemic Training Gaps: One operator is under formal investigation for allowing 800 untrained staff to interact with disabled passengers, highlighting critical operational oversights.
• Enhanced Future Monitoring: From 2026, the ORR will expand its benchmarking framework to include staff training compliance, Turn Up and Go reliability, and feedback from the Passenger Assistance app.

Editor’s Analysis

This ORR report is more than a UK-specific issue; it’s a bellwether for a critical challenge facing railways globally: balancing financial efficiency with the non-negotiable requirement for accessible and reliable public transport. As demand for assistance grows with an aging population, the ability to consistently deliver these core services will become a key performance indicator and a major regulatory flashpoint. The failure to invest in front-line staff and robust processes, as exposed in this investigation, risks alienating a growing passenger segment, undermining public trust in rail, and inviting far stricter regulatory intervention. This is a clear warning that cost-cutting measures cannot come at the expense of fundamental passenger rights and safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the ORR report on passenger assistance find?

The report found that while the quality of assistance is generally good when provided, its delivery is unreliable. The most striking statistic is that 11% of assistance booked by passengers was not delivered at all during the 2024/25 period.

What action is the ORR taking against failing operators?

The ORR has required two of the poorest-performing operators to submit detailed action plans to improve their services. It has also launched a formal licence investigation into a separate operator over a significant gap in staff disability awareness training.

How will the ORR improve its oversight of these services?

Starting in 2026, the ORR plans to expand its benchmarking framework to incorporate new data. This will include staff training compliance rates, the reliability of ‘Turn Up and Go’ services, post-assistance passenger confidence, and user feedback from the Passenger Assistance app.