Calls to freeze rail fares as passengers lose almost one million minutes to signal failure

Calls to freeze rail fares in response to poor service

Passengers were delayed by almost 190,000 minutes because of faulty signals in the last financial year (PA Archive)

Train delays caused by signal failures have cost passengers almost one million minutes since the 2018-19 financial year.

Passengers have lost 988,419 minutes, according to Freedom of Information data provided by Network Rail.

The Lib Dems, who revealed the stats, are now calling for a freeze on rail fares in response to poor service.

So far this financial year, there have been more than a thousand signal failures on journeys and commuters have wasted nearly 40,000 minutes waiting, the data shows.

Passengers were delayed by almost 190,000 minutes because of faulty signals in the last financial year.

Lib Dem transport spokesperson, Wera Hobhouse MP said: “Passengers have put up with years of unacceptable delays and extortionate rail fares. They are forced to pay through the nose for a service that they cannot rely on.

“These damning figures lay bare the state of neglect that the Conservative party left our railways in, leaving passengers to pay the price.

“With thousands of signal failures, it is clear that our rail infrastructure is not delivering for passengers who rely on these services just to go about their everyday lives.

“That is why it’s time to put passengers first and ensure services run smoothly so they no longer have to suffer these damaging delays. Passengers should also not be forced to pay more for a service that is simply not working which is why we need an immediate freeze on rail fares.”

A London Paddington bound train approaches Bath Spa station on the Great Western railway (Getty Images)

The data from Network Rail shows there have been more than 36,000 signal failures since 2018-19, which led to nearly 15,000 journeys being cancelled – 10,078 partial cancellations and 4,266 full cancellations.

Labour has promised to bring all passenger railway services back into public ownership when existing private contracts come to an end and has introduced the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill to achieve this.

It would mean privately owned operators such as Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway and Thameslink would be gradually brought into public ownership.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has also proposed there could be a single company to run both track and trains in the long term.

This could see Network Rail – the public body which owns and runs infrastructure like tracks, wires and signals – merged with train operating companies.