Train punctuality figures, from Network Rail

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

Updated figures, from the Network Rail press release:

TRAIN PERFORMANCE HIT BY SEVERE WINTER WEATHER

The severe winter weather continues to affect train performance across most parts of the country. During the 28 day period up to 11 December (period nine), especially in Scotland, the north east and across the south east of England train performance dipped to 81.7% of trains arriving on time compared with 89.4% for the same period last year.

Robin Gisby, Network Rail's director of operations and customer services, said: ^Passengers will appreciate that these harsh weather conditions make it very difficult to maintain both capacity and punctuality. We took an early decision to keep as many people moving as possible by prioritising which routes to keep open to run the maximum number of trains possible. Reliability becomes more important to passengers than high levels of punctuality.

^As of today, the railway remains open for business although several train operators are running revised timetables because of some operating constraints with the infrastructure or a shortage of available trains. We are currently planning to run greater than 90% of a normal service. Regrettably, some services may not run and punctuality remains much lower than we would like. Our priority is to run as many services safely and reliably and to work jointly with the operators to provide the most up to date information to passengers.^

During period nine, 18 of the 19 operators saw their performance dip compared to the same period last year. Chiltern Railways was the most punctual operator during the period with 94.4% of trains on time. Fourteen operators saw significant movement in their performance (over three percentage points)

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Network Rail press release:

TRAIN PERFORMANCE HIT BY SEVERE WINTER WEATHER

Continued severe winter weather during December hit train punctuality during the period, Network Rail reported today.

The latest train performance results reported that 81% of trains arrived on time compared with 80% for the same period last year.

Period 10 (12 December to 8 January) included more severe winter weather and the coldest December ever recorded in Great Britain.

Robin Gisby, director of operations and customer services, said: "During the recent tough weather, many passengers saw disruption to their journeys. Whilst most trains ran and we kept all the major routes open, passengers and freight users did not receive the high levels of service they have come to expect and rightly demand.

"We endeavoured to run as many trains as possible and sometimes put capacity ahead of punctuality. Working closely with train operators, Network Rail is looking at what we can do to further reduce the impact of extreme weather on passenger journeys and improve the flow of information to passengers."

[Chris from Nailsea]

Latest figures, from the Network Rail press release:

TRAIN PERFORMANCE BOUNCES BACK

Train punctuality has bounced back to over 90% on time following the difficult winter conditions of December.

The latest train performance results reported that 90.3% of trains arrived on time compared with 89.5% for the same period last year. A result achieved despite the lingering effects of the severe weather on both the infrastructure and some rolling stock.

Period 11 (9 January to 5 February) saw train performance recover from the recent bout of severe winter weather to the normal high levels.

Robin Gisby, director of operations and customer services, said: "It is good to see train performance bounce back and start to recover to the high levels passengers, and our customers, have come to expect.

"While this is good news, our focus remains on bringing all train operators up to the level of the very best performers and we are re-focussing our efforts, in partnership with the train operators, to improve the level of service experienced on the East Coast Main Line."

Seven of the 19 operators saw their performance improve compared to the same period last year. London Overground was the most punctual operator during the period with 96.4% of trains on time. Eight operators saw significant movement in their performance (over three percentage points).

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

East Coast trains 'less punctual'

Government-run train operator East Coast had 8.8% fewer trains on time in January this year than January 2010, despite milder weather, figures show.

Network Rail also revealed 11 of Britain's 19 train companies ran fewer punctual services last month compared with last year's snow-hit January.

However, overall 90.3% of trains ran on time - an improvement on the January 2010 figure of 89.5%.

Most East Coast delays were caused by "external factors", a spokesman said.

The government took over the running of the East Coast mainline - one of Britain's busiest train routes - in November 2009 after its operator, National Express, defaulted on its franchise.

Run on behalf of the Department for Transport before a return to the private sector, it was the worst-performing company in this period, operating 80.9% of trains on time.

The best-performing company was the Transport for London-managed London Overground which achieved a trains-on-time figure of 96.4%.

The company improving most was Virgin Trains with a punctuality figure on its West Coast services of 86.9% - a 9% rise on its January 2010 performance.

NR^» (Network Rail - home page) operations and customer services director Robin Gisby said: "It is good to see train performance bounce back and start to recover to the high levels passengers, and our customers, have come to expect. While this is good news, our focus remains on bringing all train operators up to the level of the very best performers and we are re-focusing our efforts, in partnership with the train operators, to improve the level of service experienced on the East Coast Main Line."

An East Coast spokesman said: "Around four-fifths of our delays continue to be caused by external factors, such as cable theft, trespassers on the railway, weather-related problems and issues relating to the infrastructure."

But passenger group Passenger Focus was critical of the delays on East Coast over the past month, and of the definition of "on time".

A train is on time if it reaches its end destination within 10 minutes of its specified time, even if it has been arriving at stations "half-an-hour later" en route.

Ashwin Kumar, passenger Focus rail director said: "Our research shows that passengers' satisfaction with punctuality has been dropping. Delivering trains on time is key to keeping passengers happy. With as many as one in five trains at least 10 minutes late at their destination, many passengers will know only too well the frustration of not being able to rely on the East Coast timetable."

"But these figures only show part of the story. No information is available about trains running behind schedule along the route and most passengers don't think of 10 minutes late as 'on time'. Passenger Focus research shows that satisfaction on longer-distance journeys starts to drop after only four to six minutes of delay, not 10 minutes."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Network Rail press release:

TRAIN PERFORMANCE HITS RECORD HIGH FOR FEBRUARY

Train punctuality for February reached a record high of over 92% - the best February figure on record.

The latest train performance results reported that 92.4% of trains arrived on time compared with 91.8% for the same period last year.

Period 12 (6 February to 5 March) saw train performance continue its recovery following December^s severe weather to its normal high levels.

Robin Gisby, director of operations and customer services, said: "Trains on time are what matter most to passengers, train operators and Network Rail. This is the good service we must deliver, day in, day out. Network Rail still has areas to improve, particularly for operators who use the East Coast Main Line. While there has been an improvement in performance compared to last month, there is still some way to go to reach the high standards we set for ourselves and which our customers rightly expect.^

Ten of the 19 operators saw their performance improve compared to the same period last year. The most punctual operator during the period was c2c with 96.5% of trains on time.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Network Rail press release:

MARCH'S TRAIN PERFORMANCE AT 93%

Train operator c2c ^ which runs services between London and Essex ^ saw 97.4% of its trains arrive on time in March making it Britain's most punctual operator for the month.

Overall, across the country, train punctuality for the month reached 92.9%, slightly down on last year's 93.5%, but still the second best for the period on record. The month, period 13 ran from 6 March to 31 March.

Year end performance data for the French railways for the past year (January 2010 to December 2010) has also recently been published. It reports intercity punctuality, including its high speed TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) lines of 80.6%, while commuter and regional services averaged 90.3% for the year**

Robin Gisby, director of operations and customer services, said: "We have had a strong end to the year with good levels of punctuality yet there is more to do, especially on improving performance for long distance services.^

East Coast has seen punctuality jump almost a three percentage points compared to last month as the operator has successfully reduced its delays and driven up the performance of its train fleet to the best in class. Network Rail is working hard on improving the reliability of its infrastructure on the East Coast Main Line and on managing those external factors, such as cable theft, that have such a big impact on train performance.