Appeal for more carriages as more travellers use rail

New figures released by South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (SYITA) show a 16 per cent increase in the number of train users for the year 2009/10, 34 per cent higher than the target. The results have led to transport bosses calling on the Government to review its decision not to guarantee extra seats for the county.

Chairman of SYITA Mick Jameson said: "With more people using the railways, this increased performance demands extra resources so we can accommodate the additional passengers."

It is thought that the increasing popularity of trains could be partly down to the recession, as people may have been forced to give up their cars.

Mr Jameson said: "The forecast in our report for rail patronage is that it will climb to a level of 2.48 million people a year, which is 39 per cent above our initial target.

"Therefore, we ask the Government to reconsider their decision as more carriages will ensure our railways' users experience more pleasant journeys."

The transport authority's report also highlighted good performance on South Yorkshire's rail network for punctuality, reliability and passenger satisfaction.

On the whole, trains were on time, with the punctuality target of 87.5 per cent being met in 11 out of 12 months.

The reliability targets of 98.5 per cent were also met on 11 out of 12 months from April 2009 to March 2010, with nine of those months higher than the previous year.

Meanwhile, passenger satisfaction on the railways also grew "strongly" during the year, ending 2009/10 "significantly above target."