Rail company faces £3m excess fare over failure

The penalty was proposed by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) over the introduction of an integrated planning system for the May 2010 timetable.

The ORR said NR was right to introduce new systems but "failed to consider properly, mitigate, and communicate the risks of initial problems affecting its key customers – (the rail) operators and passengers".

ORR chief executive Bill Emery said the firm had since taken positive steps to resolve problems and was "developing plans to compensate operators, but added: "It is imperative that NR is fully aware of, and guided by, the interests of its customers in everything it does. We expect NR to take forward the lessons it has learnt from this project and build on its progress in putting customers and rail users at the heart of its business."

NR now has 21 days to respond. Operations and customer services director Robin Gisby said: "We recognise that the introduction of ITPS (Integrated Train Planning System) did not go as smoothly as we hoped and that this caused problems for our customers.

"We have apologised to our customers and accept the ORR's findings."