The high-speed rail route from London to the Channel Tunnel, operated by London St. Pancras High Speed, has significantly improved its train performance over the last reporting year, alongside an increase in traffic volumes. However, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has highlighted persistent issues with the management of station assets, specifically lifts and escalators, requiring the company to make improvements.
In its annual report on London St. Pancras High Speed, the regulator noted that the number of delayed services was reduced to approximately one in every 400 train services between April 2024 and March 2025. This is a considerable improvement from around three in every 400 services in the previous year. The average delay per train also saw a dramatic reduction to 4.2 seconds, approximately one-third of the average delay compared to the year before, despite an 8% increase in overall traffic volumes.
The ORR’s report indicates that performance issues are now predominantly caused by low-likelihood, high-impact incidents. These included a major points failure and two external power supply disruptions during the latest reporting year. The regulator is now urging London St. Pancras High Speed to review its recovery protocols for such major incidents.
Furthermore, the regulator is requiring London St. Pancras High Speed to enhance its management of station assets, particularly lifts and escalators. The report highlighted one significant incident at Ebbsfleet International Station where two members of the public required hospital attention. Across its wider infrastructure portfolio, the ORR also stressed the need for better forecasting of asset condition and increased preparedness for risks related to extreme weather.
In its recent Final Determination for PR24, the ORR had already mandated London St. Pancras High Speed to accelerate improvements to its asset management, including lifts and escalators. The regulator has now informed the company that it will continue to monitor this area closely.
Feras Alshaker, Director, Planning and Performance, said: “London St. Pancras High Speed continues to deliver a good experience for its users overall, with reliability and punctuality much higher than the mainline network. As the high speed line nears two decades of operation, it is important that London St. Pancras High Speed learns lessons from its own and other networks to sustain these high levels of performance as its assets age.”
