West Midlands Rail Franchise: Standards
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department has conducted any modelling, forecasting, or scenario analysis regarding the impact of public ownership on punctuality, cancellation rates, fare levels, or passenger capacity on West Midlands Railway services; what measurable performance targets have been agreed for services operated under DfT Operator Ltd; and whether those targets differ from those applied under the previous contractual model.
Answered by Keir Mather
A review of the impact of public ownership on West Midlands Trains’ (WMT) performance and capacity has not been undertaken. It only transferred in February 2026, and rail performance indicators are not sufficiently meaningful over short time periods, not least given the impact of seasonal factors on the railway.
The new Services Agreements consolidate the myriad existing performance measures into simpler targets, including cancellations and punctuality. These are negotiated each year as part of the Annual Business Planning process with each operator, taking into account the particular circumstances foreseen in the year ahead.
The WMT Services Agreement will be published in due course, and like other operators, WMT is required to publish and report performance every four weeks.
We will hold public sector operators to account if performance consistently falls below the benchmarks. There are a range of actions that can be taken under the Services Agreement, including requesting a plan to improve in any failing area.
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