Performance Targets

Period 05 continued to present challenges in some areas of ‘Service Quality (Stations)’, though customers saw improvement in Customer Information, Cleanliness and the management of Graffiti compared with Period 04. 
Maintaining consistently clean and welcoming stations remained a focus during the period, with cleanliness and tidiness issues identified at ten locations across the network. Bird fouling also affected a number of stations, which ultimately led to lower scoring. 
During Period 05, some Customer Information Screens (CIS) across both TransPennine Express and Network Rail managed stations experienced faults or reached the end of their service life, affecting availability of real-time travel information and customer communications at certain locations. 
Customers were also affected by issues such as faded platform markings, damaged posters and outdated information displays, which reduced the overall quality and consistency of information available when travelling. 

Following the impact of bird fouling, works are ongoing with our Property Team and Network Rail to implement longer-term solutions alongside enhanced cleaning arrangements to improve the station environment for customers. 
TransPennine Express continues to make good progress with the Help Point renewal programme. Following completion of all stations, Huddersfield will be the only remaining station with legacy Help Points requiring replacement as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). Ten new Help Points have been ordered, with installation dates yet to be confirmed. 
We are currently in the process of replacing Customer Information Screens (CIS) that have reached end-of-life and screens that have experienced faults. This work continues to progress and will help improve the reliability of customer information across the network.  

With the Help Point renewal programme, we are expecting sixteen stations to be fully completed by the end of October 2026. This is expected to be reflected in the October scoring.
CIS replacement screens remain on track for delivery in October, with installation of end-of-life replacements now expected in December. This project continues to progress and will help improve the reliability of Customer Information Screens, supporting better customer information.
We expect to see a gradual improvement in ‘Service Quality (Stations)’ over the coming periods as ongoing improvement activity continues to be delivered across our stations. While some initiatives will take time to fully embed, the actions already underway are expected to support a progressive recovery in performance and customer experience throughout the remainder of the year.
Notice to Improve Performance
A Notice to Improve Performance has not been issued by the Secretary of State in respect of this Performance Target Failure.

A number of significant disruption events affected customers during Period 05 and contributed to both the ‘Dealing with delay’ and ‘Overall Customer Satisfaction’ targets not being achieved.
The most significant incident occurred on 06 August, when a power failure affecting Network Rail's Manchester Rail Operating Centre caused widespread disruption across Greater Manchester and the Northwest. This resulted in delays, cancellations and journey uncertainty for many customers.
Other significant incidents during the period included signalling failures, trespass incidents, train faults, infrastructure failures and operational issues. Together, these events caused further disruption through delays, cancellations and changes to planned services.
Customers rightly expect clear communication, timely updates, practical travel options and visible support when things go wrong. During Period 05, while we worked hard to minimise the impact of disruption and support customers throughout their journeys, the experience during some incidents did not fully meet customer expectations.

We are continuing to improve how we support customers during disruption, with a particular focus on providing clear, timely and consistent information when journeys are impacted. This includes strengthening the way information about alternative travel options, ticket acceptance, cancellations and service changes is communicated across our digital channels, stations, trains and frontline teams.
The significant disruption caused by the Manchester Rail Operating Centre outage also highlighted the importance of being able to respond quickly and effectively when major incidents occur. We are working with industry partners to understand the lessons from this and other significant disruption events during the period, helping us to improve the support and information provided to customers during future incidents. We will also continue to equip frontline colleagues with the tools, information and guidance they need to help customers make informed travel decisions and receive consistent support through their journeys.
We will also continue to work closely with Network Rail and other industry partners to reduce the impact of infrastructure and operational incidents, helping customers complete their journeys safely and with as little disruption as possible.
Listening to customers remains a key part of improving their travel experience. Feedback from the Rail Customer Experience Survey, our Customer Satisfaction Monitor, complaints, social media and post-trip surveys is regularly reviewed through the Customer Experience Insights Group. This helps us identify customer priorities, understand emerging themes and translate feedback into practical improvements that enhance the customer experience.

TransPennine Express expects customer experience performance to improve over the coming reporting periods as the actions described above take effect and the impact of the significant disruption experienced during Period 05 reduces. We hope this will be demonstrated in future scoring.
Progress will continue to be monitored through customer insight measures, operational performance reviews and feedback from customers. Particular focus will be placed on improving both ‘Overall Customer Satisfaction’ and customers' perceptions of how effectively we manage and communicate delays and disruption.
Notice to Improve Performance
A Notice to Improve Performance has not been issued by the Secretary of State in respect of this Performance Target Failure.

The target range was missed in Period 05 due to a number of high impact incidents, including a power failure at Network Rail’s Manchester Rail Operating Centre, loss of signalling at Huddersfield and an on-the-line incident at Dewsbury.

The power failure at Manchester Rail Operating Centre is subject to an industry review examining the root cause, technical resilience and measures to prevent recurrence. The review will also consider wider operational resilience in light of similar recent incidents affecting other operators.
In parallel, an incident learning review has identified improvements to information sharing between operators and passenger communications. Its recommendations have been shared across the industry and will inform the response to future major incidents.

It is expected that the recovery will be immediate, as the incidents which caused this failure are unlikely to repeat and do not represent an ongoing risk.
Notice to Improve Performance
A Notice to Improve Performance has not been issued by the Secretary of State in respect of this Performance Target Failure.