Defective signals are not the fault of the train operating companies, who are entitled to claim compensation from Network Rail when their services are delayed, and pass this onto passengers, who are entitled to claim compensation if punctuality falls below a set guideline which the Government sets when granting them the franchise.

And the biggest cause of delays are these kinds of minor, everyday delays which snowball to the point where a train misses it's "path" - which is basically a way of plotting whereabouts on the track a given train shoule be at a given time.