Railways ‘well short’ of targets on lateness

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) expressed concern over continuing performance problems across the country.

Its latest performance figures showed that Network Rail was falling behind key end-of-year punctuality targets, including long distance passenger services, where it is 3.4 per cent adrift.

Performance on East Coast, First Great Western and First ScotRail passenger services were said to be amongst the hardest hit.

“Whilst train passengers generally experience a good level of performance, ORR has called on Network Rail and train operators to work closely together to resolve performance issues and deliver further improvements,” said the report.

The regulator warned NR that it will consider formal action if the company failed to deliver on its end-of-year performance targets, which come as part of commitments it is funded to achieve by 2014.

ORR chief executive Richard Price said: “We have seen greater reliability and punctuality across our rail network recently, as the percentage of trains running late has fallen by 10 per cent over the past five years.

“But Network Rail is currently adrift of its key punctuality targets and performance in some areas is falling well short of what passengers expect, notably on East Coast, First Great Western, and First ScotRail. Poor performance must be remedied quickly.

“Network Rail has committed itself to raising performance year-on-year in return for the investment it gets from the public. But on current trends it will miss its targets. We have been watching this closely, particularly on routes where there is a real and sustained problem.”

Although delays were often driven by factors from outside the railway’s control, like cable theft, the impact of delay on passengers’ lives could be huge.