Network Rail staff have pocketed £165million in bonus payments in three years – despite overseeing a service plagued by delays, cancellations and accidents. The payouts – described by one campaigner as “scandalous” – have been made to employees at the quango which looks after infrastructure such as tracks, bridges, tunnels, signals, level crossings and stations.

Despite almost a third of rail services running late, 4% of trains being cancelled and Network Rail fined for deaths of its staff, most employees took home an average bonus of £2,000 last year. Its watchdog, the Office of Rail and Road, also criticised it last year for being slow to allow train operators to grow their services and ordered it to take measures to improve services to passengers in two regions.

Figures from Network Rail showed it paid staff £78.4million in bonus payments last year, up from £46.5million the year before and £39.6million two years ago. Last year payments were made to 38,436 employees – 90% of its staff. The bonuses were paid despite a fatal rail crash last year in Wales and two court cases where the firm was fined for safety breaches that resulted in staff fatalities.

In February the firm was fined £3.4million over the death of track worker Tyler Byrne, 30, who was killed by a train travelling at 76mph at Surbiton, south-west London. A few weeks earlier it was fined £3.75million after the deaths of Gareth Delbridge, 64, and Michael Lewis, 58, who were hit by a London-bound train while working on the line at Margam, near Port Talbot.

In both court cases Network Rail admitted offences under health and safety at work regulations including not having adequate warning systems in place. In October last year two passenger trains collided head-on near the village of Talerddig, Wales, killing a passenger and seriously injuring four others.

A preliminary investigation found leaves on the line and a lack of adhesion gel on the track may have contributed towards braking issues. Network Rail said last year only 67% of services were on time and it has now watered down its punctuality target so trains arriving within three minutes will be classified as on time.

The payments to rank-and-file staff at Network Rail come after the firm’s £590,000 chief executive Sir Andrew Haines, who is leaving in October, waived his right to claim a performance bonus, which could have been worth more than £50,000. Shimeon Lee, policy analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s scandalous that Network Rail staff are raking in millions in bonuses while delivering delays, cancellations and deadly safety failures.

“Taxpayers and passengers are getting a shoddy service, yet the quango’s staff are still pocketing rewards like they’re running a world-class railway. Ministers must end the bonus culture in failing public bodies and ensure performance is linked to pay.”

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Performance Related Pay is Network Rail’s way of recognising the valuable contribution our employees make towards delivering a reliable and efficient railway, which is recognised as one of the safest in Europe.

“With over 40,000 employees, PRP acts as an incentive for everyone to meet or exceed key performance targets that matter to passengers and freight users. Unlike automatic bonuses, these payments are only made when measurable targets are achieved – there is no additional pay if the standards expected aren’t met.”