“We apologise to passengers for the disruption and inconvenience caused by the signalling issues in the Thames Valley area this week. It is not the level of service we wish to provide nor is it the level of service that passengers expect and deserve.

The vast majority of these signalling issues were not related to the re-signalling project that was completed over the Easter weekend. This only goes to reinforce the importance of replacing all our ageing signalling equipment across the Western route, which is being delivered through our £7.5b modernisation programme. Due to the need to continue to run an operational railway, this improvement work is being undertaken in stages and once complete, will play a significant role in delivering greater reliability and punctuality for passengers.”