{"id":190165,"date":"2024-12-12T00:34:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T14:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?guid=dcff7e67ac919184d5a8f75c426bd68e"},"modified":"2024-12-12T00:34:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T14:34:42","slug":"rail-regulator-unveils-proposals-for-new-passenger-assistance-ratings-for-train-companies-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=190165","title":{"rendered":"Rail regulator unveils proposals for new passenger assistance ratings for train companies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden\">Rail regulator unveils proposals for new passenger assistance ratings for train companies<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden\"><time datetime=\"2024-12-11T14:34:42+00:00\" title=\"Wednesday, 11 December, 2024 - 14:34\" class=\"datetime\">Wed, 11\/12\/2024 &#8211; 14:34<\/time><br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"orr-published-date\">11 December 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-standfirst field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item\">The Office of Rail and Road is asking for views on a new annual assessment, to be launched in 2025, that will rate the performance of how train companies provide assistance to disabled passengers.<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-cover-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__label visually-hidden\">Cover Image<\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<article class=\"media media--type-image media--view-mode-demo-cover\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-visually_hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__label visually-hidden\">Image<\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\">  <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orr.gov.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/demo_cover\/public\/2024-04\/mobility-scooter-user-news-cover.jpg?itok=6RMywNMV\" width=\"1020\" height=\"575\" alt=\"Mobility scooter user and other passengers at a railway station\" class=\"image-style-demo-cover\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__label visually-hidden\">Body<\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-components field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-visually_hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__label visually-hidden\">Components<\/div>\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<div class=\"paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default\">\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p>ORR said the new assessment of train operators\u2019 and Network Rail\u2019s performance in delivering passenger assistance will strengthen the regulator\u2019s ability to hold operators to account for poor performance.<\/p>\n<p>It will also highlight good practice to share across the industry, and drive improvements in the provision of the service for passengers. Feedback from passengers, including what ORR gets from its regular passenger surveys, has highlighted that assistance needs to be delivered more reliably.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orr.gov.uk\/search-consultations\/benchmarking-operators-performance-rail-passenger-assistance\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"73524b58-d5e0-453f-8a27-c051461dcb9e\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\">ORR has proposed<\/a> that operators be assessed on two core areas: their actual delivery of assistance and their capability to improve. They will be measured across several factors, against three levels of performance &#8211; Upper, Middle and Lower \u2013 with a potential further assessment of whether an operator\u2019s performance is improving or worsening.<\/p>\n<p>More detail of the proposals are in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orr.gov.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-12\/consultation-rail-passenger-assistance-benchmarking-111224_0.pdf\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"cab9ce11-4d80-44cd-9686-e7bd25e5fcc1\" data-entity-substitution=\"media\">consultation document<\/a>. They were developed through a process of informal engagement with disabled people\u2019s organisations, industry bodies and other regulators.<\/p>\n<p>The consultation will close at 17:00 on Friday 14 February 2025. Responses can be sent by <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=lnkjIzp_lEOA9UYMvAdhO-AqwH72I6tCppNeNdtogfpUQjhJOVk1UllRRkRSVjg5N0lZOFk0R0lVQy4u\">online form<\/a>, by email to <a href=\"mailto:ATP@orr.gov.uk\">ATP@orr.gov.uk<\/a>, or by post to: Assistance Benchmarking Consultation, Office of Rail and Road, 25 Cabot Square, London, E14 4QZ.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stephanie Tobyn, director of strategy, policy and reform, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<div class=\"styling-options--alignment--right pull-quote-size--big paragraph paragraph--type--pull-quote paragraph--view-mode--default\">\n<div class=\"pull-quote-container\">\n<div class=\"pull-quote-text\">\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p>\u201cWe know that when assistance is delivered it is usually done well, however when it fails, it has a significant impact on passengers. Some passengers requiring assistance have been placed in unnecessary and humiliating situations because of failures by train companies to adequately manage the assistance delivery processes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur new assessment will be crucial in helping operators understand where and why they are falling short and what they need to do to improve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe welcome views on our proposed new assessment framework.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<div class=\"paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default\">\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<h2>Notes to editors<\/h2>\n<ol type=\"1\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orr.gov.uk\/search-consultations\/rail-passenger-assistance-benchmarking-operators-performance\">Rail Passenger Assistance: Benchmarking Train Operators\u2019 Performance: consultation on framework<\/a><\/li>\n<li>ORR will publish the finalised Assistance Benchmarking Framework in Spring 2025, after considering the consultation responses. The first annual assessment will then be published later in 2025.<\/li>\n<li>All train and station operators must establish and comply with an Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) as a condition of their licence, setting out their provision for disabled people. Operators must secure ORR approval for their ATP, and we have issued\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.orr.gov.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-03\/September%202020%20ATP%20Guidance%20final.pdf?msclkid=26158a73b00f11ec865ad6b545a48c3d\" >guidance<\/a>\u202fthat defines minimum requirements, covering areas such as provision of assistance, staff training and passenger information. Passengers may either book assistance in advance (up to two hours ahead of the journey) or \u2018turn-up-and-go\u2019 (TUAG).<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orr.gov.uk\/monitoring-regulation\/rail\/passengers\/passenger-assistance\" >ORR \u2013 Passenger Assistance<\/a><\/li>\n<li>The Office of Rail and Road is the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain\u2019s railways, and regulator of performance and efficiency for England\u2019s Strategic Road Network.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-related-links field--type-link field--label-above page__related page__related--links\">\n<div class=\"field__label\">Related links<\/div>\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orr.gov.uk\/search-consultations\/benchmarking-operators-performance-rail-passenger-assistance\">Rail passenger assistance consultation: benchmarking operators\u2019 performance<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rail regulator unveils proposals for new passenger assistance ratings for train companies<br \/>\nWed, 11\/12\/2024 &#8211; 14:34<\/p>\n<p>11 December 2024<\/p>\n<p>            The Office of Rail and Road is asking for views on a new annual assessment, to be launched in 2025, that wi&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-190165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=190165"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":190441,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190165\/revisions\/190441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=190165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=190165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=190165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}