| Latest
train performance numbers show continuing improvement
Rail
chief says time-table changes are necessary but they need
not be "X-rated"
The
latest figures on train punctuality show that things continue
to improve following the disastrous period after rail safety
fears impacted performance.
Silverlink
trains, which run the North London Line, continue to be one
of London's most reliable with over 80% of trains within 5
minutes of schedule. South West Trains remain relatively unreliable
but Richard Bowker, head of the Strategic Rail Authority,
singled them out for praise in a recent speech highlighting
the 8.5% increase in trains on time.
He
said that improvement has got to come from more time-table
flexibility with little used off-peak services making way
for more capacity at peak time. He assured passengers that
such changes did not imply cuts, "They do not come with
horror movie-type music and they are not X-rated. They are
a measured action to improve performance for passengers."
 London
& South East operators' performance improved by
2.6 percentage points year on year, with 71.9% of
trains running on time (October to December 2002)
compared with 69.3% (October to December 2001). - The
improvement in performance of London & South East
operators' peak services year on year, was significantly
better than the improvement in all-day figures, with
trains running on time rising by 5.4 percentage points
to 66.2% (October to December 2002) compared with
60.8% (October to December 2001).
- South
West Trains improved year on year with a peak timetable
gain of 8.5 percentage points (from 54.4% to 62.9%
of trains on time).
|
He
attributes the improvement achieved by South West Trains to
such action saying, "On South West Trains, the aim is
simple - to deliver a more robust evening peak service by
having trains in the right places at the right time. All of
the services we removed were off-peak, on congested parts
of the network and were lightly used. They were chosen because
they had minimum impact on passengers and their removal will
create valuable 'fire breaks' to stop one late-running off-peak
train impacting on all those following in the evening peak."
However
it is not all good news for rail users as the RMT have recently
announced that guards have voted for
industrial action over changes to working practises which
they believe compromise safety. Guards on South West Trains
voted against the strike but it may affect other companies
including Silverlink
Passenger
Rail Performance |