From April, Britain’s train operators and Network Rail will publish new measures of train punctuality as part of an ongoing plan to improve performance and reduce delays.
Britain’s rail companies will be using ‘to the minute’ train performance data as the primary method of measuring punctuality from April as part of the cross-industry programme of work to tackle delays and improve satisfaction.
Train operators and Network Rail worked together to develop a range of measures including ‘on time’measures to create a way of tracking train punctuality that better matches the real experience of customers in different markets and to provide companies with more detailed information about delays, so they can understand and address the root causes.
The current punctuality measure, known as the Public Performance Measure (PPM), considers a train to be ‘on time’ if it reaches its final destination within 5 or 10 minutes for short distance and long-distance services, respectively. On time measures will record train punctuality to the minute at every stop on its journey. Train operators and Network Rail are already using the data to pinpoint issues that cause delays and improve punctuality (see case studies below).
Rail companies will publish a spread of information about train punctuality: early, within a minute of the timetabled arrival or within three, five, 10 or 15 minutes and after 15, 20 or 30 minutes. The proportion of trains cancelled is also shown.
Paul Plummer, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the rail industry said:
“Every second matters to us and our customers which is why rail companies have together developed and are now using these to-the-minute measures for train punctuality at every station part of our plan to improve the railway today.
“Record investment to upgrade the railway, including the roll out of thousands of new carriages, will continue to help improve journeys over the coming years and in the shorter term, we’re using a more transparent measure of punctuality to help us cut delays and reduce disruption.”
