How we're performing

How we measure punctuality

At LNER, we’re committed to giving you a reliable, stress‑free journey. To help us track how well we’re doing, we use the industry‑standard ‘On Time’ measure - just like other train operators. This looks at punctuality to the minute at every station along the route, not just the final stop, giving a more accurate picture of your service.

When we report our performance

Our performance is reported in four‑week periods, with 13 periods making up each reporting year. The year begins in April (Period 1), and we publish the latest results here as soon as they’re available - usually around two weeks after each period ends. If you’d like to know more about how punctuality is measured across the rail industry, you can find full details on the Network Rail website.

Department for Transport Targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

As part of our Service Agreement with the Department for Transport (DfT), we work towards a range of operational Targets and KPIs. These help ensure we’re focusing on the areas that matter most to our customers and communities. In the ‘What We’re Measuring’ section below, you’ll find our performance‑related Targets and KPIs.

LNER's Period 1 Train Service Performance

LNER's performance was below the Department for Transport (DfT) Target level for punctuality and cancellations during Period 1 of Financial Year 2026-27 which ran from 01 April to 02 May 2026. These targets are included in the Services Agreement between LNER and DfT.

Performance Commentary

During Rail Period 1, LNER’s punctuality and cancellations were affected by a number of external and operational factors, including trespass incidents, train faults and infrastructure issues.

The most significant impact came from a highly disruptive incident on 16 April 2026 involving a vulnerable person on the railway between Retford and Newark. This had a knock-on effect on services over two days, with further disruption on the second day as trains and crews were displaced during the initial response.

There were also a small number of train faults during the period, including incidents between Newark and Retford on 18 April 2026 and at Knebworth on 25 April 2026. Both led to delays and some cancellations while issues were resolved safely.

In addition, punctuality was affected throughout the period by an unplanned speed restriction at Northallerton. This was put in place following technical challenges encountered during planned track renewal work and was necessary to maintain safe operations.

Action Plan

LNER and Network Rail continue to work to understand the root causes of these events and mitigate their impact to customers’ journeys. Actions being implemented in response to the above incidents were:

• LNER has carried out detailed technical reviews of recent train faults and is updating maintenance and recovery procedures as a result.

• Working with the British Transport Police, LNER and Network Rail have completed a full review of the Retford incident and identified recommendations to improve responses to similar incidents in the future.

• Network Rail has completed a comprehensive review of its processes during major engineering works to ensure they can be delivered without impacting subsequent train operations.