Service Quality
At Northern, we want every journey to feel positive, reliable and welcoming. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to providing a consistent, high-quality experience across our stations and trains.
To help us understand how we’re performing, we carry out inspections in line with standards set by the Department for Transport (DfT). These inspections are designed to reflect what our customers see and experience when travelling with us. They help us identify where we’re doing well and where we need to improve. When issues are found, we work with our suppliers and service partners to put things right as quickly as possible.
Our inspections take place in two ways. Some measures, such as the cleanliness of stations, staffing levels and information provided to customers, are checked through onsite inspections. Other measures, including the performance of ticket machines and gate lines, are monitored remotely. Using both approaches gives us a fuller, more accurate picture of how our stations and trains are performing each period.
Rail Year 2026
| Component | Area | P01 | P02 | P03 | P04 | P05 | P06 | P07 | P08 | P09 | P10 | P11 | P12 | P13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stations | Ambience and Assets | 89.28% | 91.74% | 89.18% | 86.05% | 85.06% | 85.64% | 88.27% | 85.41% | 85.36% | 80.83% | 85.21% | 87.16% | 89.04% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 93.97% | 89.88% | 89.96% | 83.12% | 93.13% | 84.20% | 80.98% | 84.75% | 83.96% | 72.67% | 85.66% | 85.49% | 83.50% | |
| Information | 84.56% | 86.96% | 85.59% | 82.77% | 88.77% | 84.90% | 84.64% | 78.36% | 79.95% | 76.87% | 79.44% | 82.42% | 81.09% | |
| Ticketing & Staffing | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 94.74% | 100% | 96.30% | 97.85% | 96.02% | 100.00% | 92.74% | 98.40% | 100.00% | |
| TVM (Remote monitoring) | 99.54% | 99.24% | 99.53% | 99.37% | 99.72% | 99.79% | 99.81% | 99.81% | 99.83% | 99.92% | 99.84% | 99.68% | 99.82% | |
| Gate Line Average (Remote Monitoring) | 94.08% | 97.72% | 98.58% | 97.44% | 99.11% | 98.01% | 96.02% | 94.99% | 96.74% | 99.60% | 97.59% | 85.46% | 91.65% | |
| Trains | Ambience and Assets | 92.71% | 93.29% | 91.76% | 92.48% | 89.28% | 90.56% | 86.56% | 91.16% | 93.88% | 89.15% | 87.04% | 89.31% | 88.42% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 92.89% | 91.51% | 95.58% | 93.72% | 96.50% | 92.50% | 86.34% | 92.53% | 96.90% | 91.32% | 88.28% | 89.50% | 87.69% | |
| Information | 92.28% | 92.61% | 94.39% | 93.32% | 92.18% | 87.22% | 85.49% | 89.74% | 90.06% | 88.46% | 87.16% | 92.61% | 91.07% | |
| WIFI on board (Remote Monitoring) | 89.42% | 89.24% | 90.40% | 90.20% | 90.22% | 87.76% | 87.52% | 90.92% | 90.70% | 90.70% | 91.54% | 91.05% | 90.90% | |
| PIS On Board (Remote Monitoring) | 91.38% | 91.63% | 95.27% | 90.28% | 93.00% | 86.27% | 91.21% | 93.68% | 92.94% | 92.17% | 93.47% | 91.05% | 91.10% | |
| PA On Board (Remote Monitoring) | 96.30% | 96.05% | 96.39% | 96.28% | 96.18% | 95.16% | 95.03% | 96.32% | 96.26% | 96.35% | 96.54% | 96.31% | 96.39% |
Why this matters to you
The scores shown above reflect what was observed at the time of inspection and help provide a clear, consistent picture of standards across our stations. They do not include any follow‑up work carried out after the visit to improve standards.
We are currently working with the Department for Transport to develop a clearer way of showing how quickly issues are resolved, so you, our customers can better understand how concerns are addressed over time.
This information is being published to support transparency. During 2025/26, our results were not linked to performance targets while we and the Department for Transport completed updates to the Service Quality methodology. The performance scores for 2025/26 record fault fix performance separately therefore they are not directly comparable to the 2024/25 pass rates, which incorporated this.
Performance targets for 2026/27 have been agreed.
Rail Year 2025
| Component | Area | Benchmark RY25 (P01 - 06) | Benchmark RY25 (P07 - 13) | 2024/P1 | 2024/p2 | 2024/P3 | 2024/P4 | 2024/P5 | 2024/P6 | 2024/P7 | 2024/P8 | 2024/P9 | 2025/P10 | 2025/P11 | 2025/P12 | 2025/P13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/04/24 | 28/04/24 | 26/05/24 | 23/06/24 | 21/07/24 | 18/08/24 | 15/09/24 | 13/10/24 | 10/11/24 | 08/12/24 | 05/01/25 | 02/02/25 | 02/03/25 | ||||
| 27/04/24 | 25/05/24 | 22/06/24 | 20/07/24 | 17/08/24 | 14/09/24 | 12/10/24 | 09/11/24 | 07/12/24 | 04/01/25 | 01/02/25 | 01/03/25 | 31/03/25 | ||||
| Station | Ambience and Assets | 77% | 81% | 75.95% | 70.98% | 76.85% | 75.90% | 81.34% | 70.61% | 73.92% | 75.95% | 74.38% | 76.47% | 76.44% | 75.56% | 82.16% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 75% | 75% | 72.28% | 66.56% | 72.45% | 75.29% | 73.20% | 78.48.% | 73.27% | 73.92% | 63.48% | 67.24% | 64.83% | 77.33% | 79.18% | |
| Information | 70% | 70% | 63.23% | 64.85% | 65.46% | 64.32% | 65.18% | 64.70% | 65.93% | 59.97% | 63.32% | 61.44% | 64.51% | 70.17% | 75.03% | |
| Ticketing & Staffing | 88% | 93% | 77.46% | 77.84% | 86.54% | 87.63% | 82.55% | 82.45% | 78.13% | 86.66% | 80.08% | 92.00% | 84.55% | 82.97% | 87.10% | |
| Trains | Ambience and Assets | 82% | 84% | 90.10% | 92.10% | 90.78% | 90.56% | 90.68% | 90.35% | 90.43% | 90.97% | 93.18% | 91.84% | 92.71% | 94.32% | 94.23% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 88% | 88% | 91.23% | 91.23% | 91.75% | 93.25% | 91.54% | 92.06% | 92.30% | 91.91% | 92.40% | 91.29% | 90.63% | 91.93% | 92.60% | |
| Information | 83% | 83% | 91.42% | 90.78% | 91.52% | 90.80% | 91.29% | 90.07% | 88.90% | 90.66% | 90.37% | 89.60% | 92.90% | 91.65% | 93.28% | |
| Customer Service | Staff Helpfulness | 80% | 80% | 82.14% | 76.63% | 80.00% | 76.13% | 79.38% | 81.13% | 88.00% | 92.88% | 89.13% | 89.63% | 92.83% | 93.13% | 94.50% |
| Online Information | 76% | 90% | 83.88% | 82.34% | 82.14% | 87.90% | 91.47% | 91.47% | 91.47% | 87.90% | 87.90% | 84.33% | 96.83% | 88.69% | 90.48% | |
End of Year Scores
| SQ Area | SQ Indicator | Rail Year - 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Train | Ambience and Assets | 81.48% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 85.74% | |
| Information | 79.83% | |
| Station | Ambience and Assets | 75.69% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 71.60% | |
| Information | 64.70% | |
| Ticketing and Staffing | 82.85% | |
| Customer Service | Staff Helpfulness | 85.92% |
| Online Information | 88.08% |
Rail Year 2024
| Component | Area | Benchmark 2023/24 | 2024/P1 | 2024/P2 | 2024/P3 | 2024/P4 | 2024/P5 | 2024/P6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/04/23 | 30/04/23 | 25/05/23 | 25/06/23 | 23/07/23 | 20/08/23 | |||
| 09/04/23 | 27/05/23 | 24/06/23 | 22/07/23 | 19/08/23 | 16/09/23 | |||
| Station | Ambience and Assets | 81% | 74.77% | 71.90% | 73.63% | 78.96% | 72.62% | 71.61% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 75% | 71.44% | 78.21% | 77.16% | 77.00% | 73.68% | 71.36% | |
| Information | 70% | 59.19% | 51.77% | 51.57% | 49.04% | 48.90% | 50.37% | |
| Ticketing & Staffing | 93% | 84.14% | 91.24% | 85.93% | 67.89% | 88.67% | 83.42% | |
| Trains | Ambience and Assets | 84% | 77.84% | 75.52% | 77.10% | 77.39% | 77.38% | 80.92% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 84% | 84.21% | 83.02% | 84.31% | 86.28% | 87.42% | 89.05% | |
| Information | 83% | 74.43% | 73.55% | 68.16% | 76.35% | 75.36% | 75.98% | |
| Customer Service | Staff Helpfulness | 78.50% | 78.38% | 62.25% | 81.75% | 73.23% | 73.79% | |
| Online Information | 59.72% | 54.37% | 59.33% | 55.36% | 56.30% | 59.72% | ||
| Component | Area | Benchmark 2023/24 | 2024/P7 | 2024/P8 | 2024/P9 | 2024/P10 | 2024/P11 | 2024/P12 | 2024/P13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17/09/23 | 15/10/23 | 12/11/23 | 10/12/23 | 07/01/24 | 04/02/24 | 03/03/24 | |||
| 14/10/23 | 11/11/23 | 09/12/23 | 06/01/24 | 03/02/24 | 02/03/24 | 30/04/24 | |||
| Station | Ambience and Assets | 81% | 73.45% | 72.13% | 73.74% | 76.79% | 71.54% | 67.33% | 73.90% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 75% | 77.91% | 73.36% | 72.95% | 74.02% | 78.38% | 57.88% | 75.51% | |
| Information | 70% | 55.83% | 54.63% | 56.17% | 57.99% | 59.60% | 54.95% | 56.42% | |
| Ticketing & Staffing | 93% | 89.02% | 82.47% | 79.68% | 81.65% | 89.66% | 81.99% | 89.60% | |
| Trains | Ambience and Assets | 84% | 75.54% | 76.03% | 79.96% | 79.57% | 82.72% | 78.37% | 80.11% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 84% | 89.71% | 87.46% | 87.75% | 87.07% | 86.94% | 84.15% | 86.29% | |
| Information | 83% | 76.98% | 74.55% | 78.44% | 88.37% | 84.58% | 77.45% | 77.32% | |
| Customer Service | Staff Helpfulness | 65.88% | 75.21% | 72.38% | 84.88% | 81.50% | 82.63% | 81.50% | |
| Online Information | 74.01% | 86.51% | 78.47% | 65.15% | 65.71% | 85.71% | 87.90% | ||
End of Year scores
| Rail Year - 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Station | Station Ambience and Assets | 73.06% |
| Station Cleanliness and Graffiti | 73.25% | |
| Station Information | 53.91% | |
| Station Ticketing and Staffing | 83.81% | |
| Trains | Train Ambience and Assets | 78.10% |
| Train Cleanliness and Graffiti | 86.19% | |
| Train Information | 76.21% | |
| Customer Service | Customer Service Staff Helpfulness | 76.25% |
| Customer Service Online Information | 68.40% |
Rail Year 2023
| Component | Area | Benchmark 2022/23 | 2022/P1 | 2022/P2 | 2022/P3 | 2022/P4 | 2022/P5 | 2022/P6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/04/22 | 01/05/22 | 29/05/22 | 25/06/22 | 24/07/22 | 21/08/22 | |||
| 30/04/22 | 28/05/22 | 25/06/22 | 23/07/22 | 20/08/22 | 17/09/22 | |||
| Station | Ambience and Assets | 81% | 83.13% | 81.99% | 77.95% | 77.92% | 75.14% | 82.61% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 75% | 71.02% | 66.02% | 68.69% | 71.48% | 72.66% | 79.86% | |
| Information | 70% | 61.10% | 54.72% | 50.21% | 51.85% | 52.74% | 55.79% | |
| Ticketing & Staffing | 93% | 83.31% | 90.39% | 94.19% | 92.40% | 98.00% | 93.07% | |
| Trains | Ambience and Assets | 84% | 87.44% | 85.53% | 79.50% | 83.31% | 83.52% | 83.60% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 84% | 84.99% | 83.53% | 77.54% | 82.14% | 85.20% | 87.68% | |
| Information | 83% | 61.19% | 54.23% | 55.32% | 46.54% | 46.86% | 54.73% | |
| Customer Service | Staff Helpfulness | 73.82% | 73.85% | 81.67% | 73.06% | 75.25% | 81.50% | |
| Online Information | 47.22% | 48.65% | 48.57% | 43.06% | 50.00% | 45.83% | ||
| Component | Area | Benchmark 2022/23 | 2022/P7 | 2022/P8 | 2022/P9 | 2022/P10 | 2023/P11 | 2023/P12 | 2023/P13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18/09/22 | 16/10/22 | 13/11/22 | 11/12/22 | 08/01/23 | 05/02/23 | 05/03/23 | |||
| 15/10/22 | 12/11/22 | 10/12/22 | 07/01/23 | 04/02/23 | 04/03/23 | 31/03/23 | |||
| Station | Ambience and Assets | 81% | 79.88% | 75.59% | 81.97% | 79.98% | 73.15% | 84.15% | |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 75% | 74.55% | 77.13% | 75.70% | 86.79% | 78.50% | 79.38% | ||
| Information | 70% | 54.59% | 52.72% | 52.25% | 61.84% | 54.21% | 59.58% | ||
| Ticketing & Staffing | 93% | 92.94% | 89.67% | 92.10% | 88.12% | 87.37% | 94.64% | ||
| Trains | Ambience and Assets | 84% | 85.62% | 84.90% | 84.94% | 81.38% | 82.65% | 81.12% | 78.59% |
| Cleanliness and Graffiti | 84% | 89.62% | 88.68% | 86.24% | 91.04% | 87.66% | 84.24% | 85.56% | |
| Information | 83% | 47.60% | 50.53% | 51.88% | 39.47% | 53.73% | 67.11% | 67.24% | |
| Customer Service | Staff Helpfulness | 80.19% | 78.48% | 79.00% | 76.46% | 80.63% | 80.38% | 82.13% | |
| Online Information | 47.22% | 47.22% | 48.61% | 47.14% | 41.67% | 48.61% | 50.00% | ||
End of Year scores
| Rail Year - 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Station | Station Ambience and Assets | 78.62% |
| Station Cleanliness and Graffiti | 75.04% | |
| Station Information | 54.12% | |
| Station Ticketing and Staffing | 90.72% | |
| Trains | Train Ambience and Assets | 83.27% |
| Train Cleanliness and Graffiti | 85.84% | |
| Train Information | 51.41% | |
| Customer Service | Customer Service Staff Helpfulness | 78.20% |
| Customer Service Online Information | 47.22% |
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