Transport for Wales Rail Service Quality Report, 2021-22
Overview
This report captures Transport for Wales Rail service quality for the Rail Year 2021-22.
Information and tickets
| Indicator | Service Quality |
| Provision of travel information during the journey | Information in person or written format is available from any of our 52 staffed stations. Information is prominently displayed on each platform using our electronic passenger information system and at static poster cases. A public address system announces information at stations and on-board trains. Digital channels, such as Twitter and WhatsApp, are staffed to answer customer queries between: Monday to Friday, 0700 - 2000 Saturday, 0800 - 2000 Sunday, 1100 - 2000 A telephone service is available between 0800 and 2000 Monday to Saturday and 1100-2000 Sunday. Customers can access timetables and have their queries answered on our website and by our chat bot. |
| How requests for information are handled at the station | Requests can be made in person at our stations (where staffed). At unstaffed station requests can be made via phone, website, or social media. Help points are located at some stations allowing customers to speak to control room staff. There is a help point strategy in place to increase the number of help points so all stations have a help point. All requests are dealt with as quickly as possible. In most cases this is immediate with information being readily available. |
| How information about train schedules, tariffs and platforms is provided | With planned changes - including those for engineering works, timetable changes, ticketing, and coronavirus information - we use a multi-channel, blended approach to inform customers. This approach includes:
https://tfw.wales/service-status/timetables |
| Ticket buying facilities | There are several ways in which our customers can purchase tickets. These include from:
TfWRL has 34 cash and card and 200 card only TVMs at 142 of our 248 stations. The availability of the TVMs is monitored daily by the Retail Team. They can remotely access the TVMs to reboot them in the event of an error. The Stations Team replenish ticket stock and empty cash at staffed stations. Where possible, they resolve mechanical faults directly and report those faults which they cannot resolve to the TVM supplier who repair the machines as part of the maintenance contract. The supplier replenishes ticket stock and maintains the machines at unstaffed locations. |
| Indicator | Service Quality |
| Availability of staff at the station for information provision and ticket sale | At our large stations, we provide clearly marked and staffed Information Points which are open when the ticket office is open. Staff at Information Points:
Information Points are meeting points for passengers who have booked assisted travel. Train service information is available from stations that have Help Points. Help Points are stands with a button customers can press to speak to an operator between 0600 to 2200. Customers can also contact our Customer Relations team.
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| How information to disabled people and persons with reduced mobility is provided | Alternative formats (such as large print, Braille or audio versions) of all our document are free of charge from the Customer Relations team. We provide large-print documents within seven days of request and any other formats as soon as possible. Contact:
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Punctuality of services and general principles to cope with disruption to services
a) Delays
| Indicator | Core Valley Lines | Wales Cross Border |
| % of services arrived on time or delayed less than three minutes | 88.1% | 79.5% |
| % of services delayed between three and 59 minutes | 11.9% | 20.5% |
| % of services delayed between 60 and 119 minutes | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| % of services delayed 120 minutes or more | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| % of missed connections with other train services | N/A as figure is currently not possible to measure. | N/A as figure is currently not possible to measure. |
b) Disruptions
| Indicator | Service Quality |
| Existence and short description of contingency plans, crisis management plans | Transport for Wales Rail Limited (TFWRL) have contingency plans and documents which inform decision making when disruptions occur. The Operations Service Delivery Plan outlines contingencies in the event of rolling stock shortages, priority services, detailed route by route service and short-formation strategies. Seasonal delivery plans mitigate the potential challenges of weather events. Route contingency plans cover all Network Rail routes which TfWRL operate. They detail actions to be taken by all Train Operating Companies (TOCs) providing services in these areas in the event of line closures and other disruptions. These are regularly reviewed to account for customer feedback, changes in service pattern and rolling stock provision with the aim of continually improving customer experience. |
c) Cancellation of services
| Indicator | Service Quality |
| Cancellation of services as part of all services in % per category of service (international, domestic long distance, regional and urban/ suburban) | 4.89% of Core Valley Lines services were cancelled. 3.30% of Wales Cross Borders services were cancelled. |
Cleanliness of rolling stock and station facilities (air quality in carriages, hygiene of sanitary facilities, etc.)
| Indicator | Service Quality |
| Cleaning Intervals | In 2020/21, we introduced enhanced cleaning regimes across stations and on-train to keep both customers and colleagues safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Cleaning intervals - Stations We are committed to deliver exceptional levels of hygiene and cleanliness in our stations. At the start of the pandemic, we revised our cleaning regime within days: our cleaning teams were provided with revised methods of work, cleaning products and schedules. We recruited extra staff to focus on cleaning high touch point areas. Cleaning takes place at our staffed stations on a regular basis to help keep customers and colleagues safe during the pandemic. Our service quality team and station managers have continued to monitor cleanliness throughout the last year. Cleaning intervals - On train In response to the pandemic and industry guidelines, we have delivered the following activities:
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| Technical measurement for air quality (e.g. level of CO2 in ppm) | Air Quality is a significant area of focus for Transport for Wales Rail Ltd (TfWRL), particularly following the Welsh Government’s Clean Air White Paper (2021) - a precursor to the proposal for a Clean Air (Wales) Bill. We are working with Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) to install monitors and monitor air quality at Holyhead and Chester. From an industry point of view, TfWRL are supporting RSSB on their T1233 Air Quality Targets Project and have a presence on the RSSB steering group. Recently we changed our engine idling procedure following the recommendations of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) Guidance Note: Reducing Diesel Emissions in Stations and Depots’ (draft April 2021). TfWRL are also taking part in RSSB’s stations air quality management network project saw air quality monitoring undertaken at five major stations within Wales in 2021-22. TfWRL have undertaken trials with suppliers to identify innovative solutions to air quality monitoring on our network. This work is ongoing. |
| Availability of toilets | Our Making Rail Accessible: Helping Older and Disabled Passengers guide explains what facilities are available at our stations. It includes details of staffing hours, toilets and information screens. A new fleet of trains will gradually be introduced between now and December 2023. We update our accessibility website when each type of train is refurbished or withdrawn and replaced. The page has details of the toilets on each type of fleet and how accessible they are. |
Customer satisfaction survey
The last National Rail Passenger Survey was run in Spring 2020 which is why the figures below are from that earlier period.
| Service Quality Indicator | Percentage of customers satisfied |
| Punctuality of trains | 73% (Spring 2020) |
| Information to passengers in case of delays | 35% (Spring 2020) |
| Accuracy and availability of information on train times/ platforms | 85% (Spring 2020) |
| Consistently good maintenance/excellent condition of trains | Upkeep and Repair 67% (Spring 2020) |
| High level of security on train/ in station | 73% Station and 74% on train (Spring 2020) |
| Cleanliness of inside of the train | 75% (Spring 2020) |
| Provision of useful information throughout the journey | 64% (Spring 2020) |
| Response times to information requests at stations | 86% (Spring 2020) |
| Availability of good quality toilets on every train | Toilets are available on all trains and toilet facilities scored 50% in Spring NRPS 2020 |
| Cleanliness and maintenance of stations to a high standard | Cleanliness 70% and upkeep 64% (Spring 2020) |
| Accessibility of stations and trains | Our Making Rail Accessible: Helping Older and Disabled Passengers guide lists all our stations and explains what facilities are available, including staffing hours, toilets and information screens. Our station accessibility webpage (https://tfw.wales/info-for/passengers/accessible-travel/station-accessibility) provides information about our current arrangements for helping disabled and older passengers travel on our trains. It includes details about our facilities at stations. It provides useful contact details and information that they may need for planning their journeys. It contains information about the accessibility of all current stations on our network. The station accessibility categorisation has been determined by RDG (Rail Delivery Group) and explains what level of access can be found at each station. Please see below for more information on each category We also have the same available for on train and more information on which units are accessible and where they run also. (https://tfw.wales/info-for/passengers/accessible-travel/train-accessibility) |
| Indicator | Service Quality |
| Assistance provision to disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility | Train and Station operators are required by their operating licences to establish and comply with an Accessible Travel Plan (ATP) which must be approved by the ORR. An ATP sets out, amongst other things, the arrangements and assistance that an operator will provide to protect the interests of disabled people using its service and to facilitate such use. More information can be found at: https://tfw.wales/info-for/passengers/accessible-travel Our Assisted Travel Team can provide advice, book assistance, and arrange tickets for your journey, regardless of train operator. They can be contacted on 033 300 50 501 between 0800 and 2000 on every day except Christmas Day. The Next Generation Text service number for people with hearing loss and speech difficulties is 18001 033 300 50 501. |
Complaint handling refunds and compensation for non-compliance with service quality standards
| Indicator | Service Quality |
| Procedure in place | We have a clear and concise complaint handling process in place. Details can be found here: https://tfw.wales/about-us/transparency/complaints-handling-procedure This procedure is reviewed regularly with the ORR. The last review took place at the end of 2021. |
| Number of complaints and outcome | 14,790 |
| Categories for complaints | The most common five complaints were:
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| Received complaints | 14,790 |
| Processed complaints | We responded to 84% of complaints within 20 working days. |
| Average response times | We responded to 84% of complaints within 20 working days and responded 31% to in 10 working days. |
| Possible improvement action undertaken | Every period, we review our top three complaint categories and act to continually improve the service we offer. This year, we have continued to clearly communicate the experience customers can expect whilst travelling with us during the coronavirus pandemic. As Wales often had different rules to England, we focused especially on cross-border services. We produced content for our website, social media and video to ensure our customers knew what to expect, what we were doing to keep them safe and the steps they could take to travel with confidence. We review our customer performance contact weekly with the performance team, identifying the trains that have the biggest customer impact and making plans to improve these services which will impact on the top two complaint categories. |
Assistance provided to disabled people and people with reduced mobility
| Indicator | Service Quality |
| Assistance procedure in place | Train and Station operators are required by their operating licences to establish and comply with an ATP which must be approved by the ORR. An ATP sets out the arrangements and assistance that an operator will provide to protect the interests of disabled people using their service and to facilitate such use. More information can be found at: https://tfw.wales/info-for/passengers/accessible-travel |
| No of cases of assistance per category of service (international/domestic long distance, regional and urban/ suburban) | 35,110 assistance reports logged with RDG. |
