05.07.18
ATW pays out £2.4m in penalties for delayed and cancelled services
Arriva Trains Wales has paid out over £2.4m in financial penalties for delayed or cancelled services, a North Wales Assembly Member (AM) has announced.
Speaking to the Welsh Assembly on Tuesday, Aberconwy AM Janet Finch-Saunders outlined the “startling” figures that detailed the payouts since 2010.
Finch-Saunders tabled the question to transport secretary Ken Skates and questioned why the penalties were given.
“Transport for Wales will closely monitor the performance of KeolisAmey and will penalise them should they not meet the benchmarks set out in the contract in areas such as cancellations, short formation of services, passenger time lost and the condition of stations and trains,” said the transport secretary.
Skates added that “it is not possible at this stage” to advise the level of financial penalties because it will depend on the number and scale of the failures to achieve the benchmarks.
“The penalties were levied for failures to meet punctuality benchmarks and for services cancelled for reasons within the operator's control,” Skates commented.
Finch-Saunders said: “These figures are quite startling – when you look at the amounts being paid out of poor service, it really is worrying.
“Whilst the sums have come down over the years, it is a concern that they remain higher than anyone would like. Travellers would much rather their services ran to the published timetables than the Welsh Government received another payout – so maybe the cabinet secretary needs to look at other ways to incentivise adequate performance.”
Arriva Trains Wales began work on a £200k makeover to modernise its Class 158 and Class 150 fleets last month.
An Arriva Trains Wales spokesperson said: “Last year we were the best Right Time operator in the UK and this year our performance has continued to be strong.
“There are a number of complex measures rightly designed to encourage all train operators in the UK to reach the best possible standards of performance and we will always do our best to provide our customers with the most reliable service possible.”
ATW's finance director pointed out that the figures are rail industry-wide performance regimes- adding that the only way to judge the statistics is to compare them against other train providers.
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