The Office of Rail and Road’s own data once again shows private open access operators beat the state-backed train companies. Long-distance open access operators recorded a cancellation rate of 2.3% in 2025/26, less than half the 5.0% for contracted long-distance services. Hull Trains recorded 1.8% and Lumo 1.9%. Avanti West Coast, which the government is busy nationalising, cancelled 5.6% of its trains…
There are more stats:
There are slightly more complaints for open access operators at 96 per 100,000 journeys against 72 for contracted operators. Though LNER, the state-owned flagship one, managed 109…
Why, then, is the state binning more open access trains? This morning ORR rejected Lumo’s Rochdale-Euston bid as well as the Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway’s Wrexham-Euston service, citing capacity on the West Coast Main Line. This comes one day after Grand Central abandoned its proposal to run services from Cleethorpes…
Burnham’s government has only paid lip service to competition, saying “there will be a continued role for open access operators where they can add value and capacity to the network.” Heidi Alexander announced at the weekend that Avanti’s West Coast services will be nationalised from March next year, and the Labour Conference transport offer was almost wholly limited to re-nationalising the railways. A government source told Guido: “Promoting open access isn’t helpful to the agenda.” Quite…
Kemi Badenoch at the 1922-ConHome bash last night:
“I did praise [Burnham] for his stamina, it was amazing. All I had to do was sit back and lie there. I didn’t have to do anything at all…”