AN MP said ‘we need to keep the pressure up on Network Rail’ after it was revealed ‘progress has been made’ one year on from an investigation into the organisation’s impact on poor train performance in the North West and Central region.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the regulator that conducted the initial investigation, found steps forward had been taken but said an ‘extended focus’ was required in coming months to ensure improvements were fully delivered for passengers and freight.

Barrow and Furness MP Simon Fell said: “The key measure is punctuality and reliability.

“People need to be able to trust that when they take the train it turns up and runs to time.

“There have been significant strides over recent years but we need to keep the pressure up on Network Rail and the train operating companies that this will continue to be the case and that any service changes are flagged clearly and well in advance.”

South Lakes MP Tim Farron said rail services in Cumbria had ‘sadly been not up to scratch for many years now’.

“While it’s very welcome to see the Office of Rail and Road find that progress has made to improve services in the North West, there is clearly a long way still to go,” he said.

“That’s why it’s so important that the Government gets these new major rail reforms right, so passengers actually get the good standard of service that they’re paying for.”

ORR had concerns over the slow progress of six of its recommendations from a year ago - primarily relating to asset management and operations.

It felt the region had made good progress with electrification works and understanding unexplained failures on the network.

However, it was felt Network Rail had to further develop processes such as weather resilience.