A plan to address the issues causing poor train reliability and punctuality in Wales and Western England has been accepted by the Office of Rail and Road.

The plan aims to improve the performance of some of the UK's busiest train routes, including those into and out of London Paddington.

It follows an investigation by the Office of Rail and Road into the Wales and Western region, which found Network Rail was not doing all it reasonably could to improve train performance for both passengers and freight.

Following the investigation, the Office of Road and Rail issued a ‘final order’, requiring Network Rail to create a robust, evidenced and timebound plan by August 31 to avoid a £3 million fine. 

The initial proposals by Network Rail, including the Thames Valley performance improvement plan, were deemed insufficient by the Office of Rail and Road due to a lack of detail, timelines, and breadth.

It believed this plan would not have delivered sustained improvements across the whole of Wales and Western England.

As a result, Network Rail was required to draft a new plan, which has now been accepted by the regulator.

The Office of Rail and Road will closely monitor the implementation of the plan, with 90 per cent of actions scheduled to be completed by 2026.

Many of these actions, including exercises to improve the response to stranded trains and changes to the region's governance for greater focus on train punctuality and reliability, are to be implemented before the end of the year.

The plan comprises nearly 60 individual actions including timetable improvements, improvements to the forecasting of extreme weather events, and investment in asset reliability and performance.

Further investment in people will look to improve leadership, behaviours and accountability.

Network Rail will also look to learn more from past and future disruptive events and increase collaboration between industry bodies, including train operators.

Feras Alshaker, director of performance and planning at the Office of Rail and Road, said: "We are pleased with the detailed work Network Rail has done to create a clear, workable plan that should sort out the underlying issues and deliver sustained improvement for passengers."

He added: "Passenger train performance in the Wales and Western region has been letting customers down for too long.

"We pushed for this plan to be comprehensive and region-wide, and it is. We will be watching to make sure Network Rail delivers on its promises to passengers."