Giving train passengers more information on punctuality (DfT) New rail performance data released (ATOC) ..and ..WEST HIGHLAND LANDSLIP RECOVERY WORKS COMPLETE(Network Rail) 11th July 2012

 

Giving train passengers more information on punctuality

www.dft.gov.uk

Passengers will from today be able to find out if train services run on time to within one minute under plans to make more detailed punctuality information available for the first time, Transport Minister Norman Baker announced this morning.
Already published Public Performance Measure data currently shows how many trains arrive within five or ten minutes of their scheduled time. Now new statistics published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) today show the percentage of trains arriving early and within one minute of being on time.
Norman Baker said:

“I want passengers to be given clear and simple information on the punctuality of their train services.
“The Coalition Government wants rail travel to be more transparent and that’s why we have worked closely together with the rail industry to ensure these statistics will be published.
“This is good news for passengers, as 69.8% of trains on the network are arriving within 59 seconds of when they are supposed to – and 91.6% are meeting the PPM target. This compares very favourably with elsewhere in Europe and across other modes. I will be urging all train operators to go that extra mile and push these figures up even higher.”

Transport Minister Theresa Villiers said:

“We want to put passengers at the heart of how our railways are run. Providing more information on the punctuality of services is part of our wider commitment to increasing transparency across government.
“We know the great importance placed by commuters and other rail passengers on the reliability and resilience of our railway network and today’s publication is just one of a number of initiatives to give rail users more information about our railways.”

The new information is being published at rail industry sector level from today – for London and South East services, for Long Distance services, and for Regional and Scottish services. Further, more detailed data will be available by October.

 

 

www.atoc.org

New rail performance data released

10/07/2012

Network Rail and train companies have today released more detailed information than ever before about train punctuality, showing passengers the number of services that arrive within a minute of their scheduled arrival time.
The publication of this 'right-time' data is the latest step by the industry to be more open and to make more information available to the public.
During the last 10 years, the railway has delivered a 50% improvement in the numbers of trains arriving early or up to 59 seconds after their timetabled arrival. In 2001/2, 46.9% of trains arrived within a minute; in 2011/12 that had jumped to 69.8%.
Taking into account the large rise in services during the past decade, this represents an 80% increase in 'right-time' arrivals – more than five million in 2011/12 compared to 2.78 million in 2001/2.
This level of detail is a first for any transport industry in the UK or Europe. The rail industry is now looking at how much more detail it can release with the ambition of providing current and historical data on the performance of individual services on the National Rail Enquiries website.
Robin Gisby, Network Rail's managing director, Network Operations, said: "We are committed to improving punctuality as far as possible but as the numbers of passengers and trains continues to increase, it becomes ever more difficult to do. We will be open and honest with the public about our performance and the capacity constraints we're working under, identifying the investment needed to tackle these constraints and continue to grow and develop the railway into a service of which the British people can be proud."
Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said: "Rail passengers now have more information about punctuality in this country than on the continent and more than travellers who fly or drive within Great Britain. These figures show that through the commitment of the thousands of people who work in the railway, many more trains than a decade ago are arriving early or within one minute of the timetable. And our goal is to get better still.”
The railway is booming, with more passenger journeys than at any time since the 1920s, historically high levels of safety, performance and satisfaction, and more than one million more trains running per year than a decade ago. Train companies, Network Rail and other rail organisations are working together to take out billions of pounds in the cost of running the network, thus enabling continuing investment in better performance and more seats for passengers.

WEST HIGHLAND LANDSLIP RECOVERY WORKS COMPLETE Network Rail

The West Highland line will reopen between Crianlarich and Fort William tomorrow (Wednesday, July 11) after engineers completed works to recover the line following a landslip and freight derailment on June 28.
Engineers have been working around-the-clock for over a week at the site near Tulloch, stabilising the slope, installing rock netting and removing tonnes of material from the railway line.
Over 100 yards of railway track has also been renewed as part of the operation and six derailed freight wagons rerailed and removed for the site.
The operation has been one of the most challenging Network Rail’s engineers have faced due to the remote location of the site, which was inaccessible by road and located on a steep hillside.
The freight engine which was derailed in the incident has been secured, but not yet removed. Plans for its removal are being progressed separately so as not to delay the reopening of the line.
A Network Rail spokesman said: “Our engineers have worked hard to recover and reopen the line as quickly as possible in what was a very challenging location. As we approach the peak tourist season, restoring passenger services was of vital importance to the communities this line serves.”