HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Arriva Trains Faces £2million Fine in SRA Enforcement Action [October 2021]

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 25 October 2001.

The Strategic Rail Authority today published a notice containing the draft of an enforcement order, as well as details of a proposed penalty, to be made against Arriva Trains Northern Limited (ATN). This follows extensive service disruption in recent months on the wide ranging North of England operation. Around 1000 trains a week have regularly been cancelled over the May to September period this year.

The SRA will consider any representations which are made during the 26 day consultation period, which starts today, on the proposed enforcement order and penalty. The SRA proposes to levy a penalty of £2 million in relation to ATN’s cancelled trains in respect of the period from May to August and to make the proposed order in respect of train cancellations during September / October so as to ensure that ATN recruits and trains sufficient drivers to enable it to provide its timetabled services. In the event that the order, when made, is breached, ATN will be required to pay an amount of £5,000 per driver per calendar month below the agreed target. The SRA expects that the penalty and the enforcement order will be imposed on ATN in late November.

SRA Chief Executive Mike Grant said,

“Passengers on this intensive regional network have suffered an unacceptable level of cancellations in recent months. ATN has until 19 November to convince me that it is operating, and will continue to operate, a proper service. If performance does not improve, the company faces the possibility of further serious sanctions including, ultimately, franchise termination”.

ATN and other interested parties can make representations to the SRA about the proposed enforcement order and penalty, by 19 November 2001. The SRA will require Arriva Trains Northern to display copies of the order at every station that it serves.

Separate from today’s enforcement order, the SRA and PTEs have agreed a service mitigation plan with the company. This permits ATN to remove temporarily an average of 1000 services per week (Mon-Sat) with effect from 29 October 2001 to 24 February 2002. During these 4 months, ATN will be required to operate and publicise details of substitute bus services in the areas of the network affected.

In return for this permission, Arriva Trains Northern must fund passenger benefits to the value of £250,000 per four week Period for the duration of the plan. The service reduction has been permitted for this limited period to provide passengers with greater certainty about which services will be operating, and to enable focus on recruitment and training of drivers.