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The trains now arriving... are a record 90% on time
Dick Murray26.05.09
Record numbers of trains are now running on time, Network Rail announced today.
It said annual punctuality has reached the 90 per cent mark for the first time since records began in 1992. A total of 90.6 per cent of trains were on time in the 12 months to March, while the figure for April was a monthly record of 93.5 per cent.
The best-performing company in 2008/09 was the London to Tilbury and Southend operator c2c, which achieved a trains-on-time figure of 95.3 per cent. Chiltern and Merseyrail also reached the 95 per cent mark.
Virgin Trains and London Midland did significantly worse than the previous year due to disruption caused by the £9billion upgrade of the West Coast Main Line, completed last December.
The biggest year-on-year improvement was by First Great Western — up from 83.1 per cent to 90.5 per cent. Train punctuality plummeted at the beginning of this decade when speed restrictions were introduced after the Hatfield rail crash in October 2000.
When NR took over responsibility for infrastructure from Railtrack in 2002, punctuality was below 79 per cent. NR's operations and customer service director Robin Gisby said: “Passengers are today experiencing the most punctual train service ever provided. Our focus in years ahead will be to drive performance to even higher levels, with particular attention to reducing the number of very late services.”
Alec McTavish, of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: “This is a significant achievement by all parts of the industry, particularly as we ran an additional one million more timetabled trains last year than British Rail did just before privatisation.”
But Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA transport union, said: “These figures are just spin and poppycock. NR is comparing itself with the worst levels of performance achieved by Railtrack, the little-lamented private rail firm. It is not comparing itself with BR, a public-sector service that got far better results than NR at a fifth of the cost.”
A train is deemed to be on time if it arrives within five minutes of its schedule for commuter services and 10 minutes for long-distance services. Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker said: “Passengers mustn't be hoodwinked by the results. “It's not good enough to record that half a million trains were within five minutes of their schedule. On time should mean on time.”
Reader views (20)
Not only are Virgin trains slow but they are unreliable. I gave up using their service to Manchester earlier this year after yet another miserable experience.
- Alan Summers, London NW2
Wish I could afford to travel by train.
- Freddie, London
Only because they have employed the Ryanair method of blind fraud. If you publish a timetable that states that it takes three hours to get from A to B when you know full well that the journey time is only an hour-and-a-half, of course your going to beat the targets. The amazing thing is that they can still do no better that 90%. Even as fraudsters and conmen, Network Rail are completeley useless.
- Tangomike, Kensington, London
Under British rail if your train was a minute late it was logged as late this ten minute buffer is rubbish and the sooner us the taxpayers and train customers take a harder line with our so called parliamentary masters and get a better service not giving huge bonuses for mediocracy the better!
- Tony Johnson, Hythe UK
Seriously? I don't believe a word of it. More than likely, the definition of "late" has been changed instead!
- Marianne, SW France/London
After working within the rail industry for 10 years heres how u get a train on time add time to each station i.e 1 min at 15 stations on route means you have an extra 15 mins flexibility within your timetable this then means that to the average commuter it looks like your trains are arriving on time and the train companies dont pay so many fines (Neither does network rail) Its all one big con
- Tony, hastings uk
The figures are based on the time allowed for in the present timetable and so are correct.
The reason why some journeys now take longer is because more stops are included in the timetable to serve stations en route some of which did not even exist in the 1980s.
The upgrade to the WCML has been done by removing some of these extra stops and re-allocating them to other operaters. The same needs to be done with other lines like the Great Western which used to be a main line railway but with the increase in long distance commuting has become more of a commuter railway with consequential lengthing of times from places like Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea etc.
The fact is record numbers of trains now operate over a much smaller network than pre Beeching with a need to re-open old lines and build new ones.
It's all very well politicians like Cameron talking about high speed lines which wont even start to be built while they may be in office? Its electrification of the GWR and MML that is needed now!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Simon is correct I think if you check the timings for a trains in the 80s and today you would find a lot more time is allowed now.
That makes it easy to claim to be on time.
- Howard, Kuala Lumpur
So if your train is 10 minutes late and your connection has already gone, that's fine -- your train was "on time". And since the "10 minutes late = on time" applies only to the ultimate destination, you can be significantly later at your station along the way and still have travelled on an "on time" train. Statistics can indeed show anything.
- John, York, England
more lies the rest have pulled the wool over our eyes why not this bunch treat us a saps the dumb british for pity sake take of the rose tinted specs the trains are always late who is kidding who at least tell the truth ,
- Jim Fennessey, london
Also easily done when the timetabled journey times are gradually increased each year for the same journey.
- Simon, London
Big Deal-At the prices the railways charge they should be 100% on time
- Strongbow Sullivan, Paris,France
You can just see another train fare rise coming.
- Mr S.Port, London
Is that the sound of violins, or just the figures being fiddled. I have travelled to London and Ashford by train from 'oop north' on a number of occassions in the last year. #Ashford 4, Euston 3, Kingscross 4#and have reached my destination on time only twice. In fact one of the throught tickets missed the connection that left 45 minutes after I was supposed to arrive in the station, and it cost the train company well over £130 for the taxi. Guess I'm just unluckey then.
- Alan, carlisle uk
Funny how I am always on one of the 10% late ones!!
- Mike, London England
On the Bedford to Brighton line they run the trains "fast" missing out some of the stops on the planned timetable that helps them improve their figures but of course this doesn't help the passenger who can’t use the train they should have been able to use.
- Mike M, Bedford England
Passengers should only have to pay 90% of the ticket charge if they are only on time 90% of the time.......
- Alan, London
Could that be anything to do with extended timetable journey times?. London to Brighton was quicker by steam train.
- Paul B, London
The TSSA spokesman is correct, these figures are meaningless. Journeys take longer than they did twenty years ago, they pad out the timetables and still only 90% arrive within 5 minutes i.e Notwork Rail's idea of on time. This with more in public subsidy than British Rail ever got.
- Jonathan, London, England
Easily done when there are fewer of them.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
