Dear Lyndsey
Assessment of estimates of station usage as National Statistics
Thank you for inviting us to assess estimates of station usage against the Code of Practice for Statistics. We have today published our Assessment Report and judge that estimates of station usage should be designated as National Statistics once we have confirmed that the improvements committed to by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and set out in the report have been made. I would like to thank you and your team for your positive engagement throughout the assessment.
During our assessment we found that estimates of station usage provide a valuable, trusted source of information about the use of the rail network across Great Britain. The statistics provide unique, granular information about rail stations, yielding insights for a broad range of users, from analysts and policymakers to members of the public.
We identified several ways in which ORR should develop the statistics in order to meet the highest standards of the Code of Practice for Statistics, including more-detailed information about data quality and contextual information to support users’ understanding. As we identified these improvements, you and your team have made great progress towards addressing them and committed to further actions which you intend to carry out with a view to achieving National Statistics status for the next release of the statistics.
Yours sincerely
Ed Humpherson
Director General for Regulation
Related Links:
Assessment Report: Estimates of Station Usage (produced by the Office of Rail and Road)
Lyndsey Melbourne to Ed Humpherson: Requesting assessment of estimates of station usage
Ed Humpherson to Lyndsey Melbourne: Assessment of estimates of station usage