Rail operator improving - report

THE number of trains that arrive on time in East Anglia is above the national average, a new report has revealed.

The One mainline inter-city service from Norwich to London was rated second among the UK long-distance operators for performance, with a punctuality figure of 84.1% between October-December 2004, compared to a sector average of 75.8%.

The figures, from a report by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) released yesterday, also showed that this was a 10.6% improvement on the same period in 2003, when the rate was 73.5%.

Meanwhile all other local services had a punctuality rate of 86.9%, compared to the national average of 81.9%.

Tim Clarke, managing director for the rail company, said: "These are an excellent set of results and demonstrate a positive cycle of improvement for passengers using One train services since the franchise has been in operation.

"The emphasis on detail, focusing on excellent performance of our fleet of trains and a positive partnership with Network Rail is providing a robust platform for consistency and further improvement.

"We recognise that our mainline services still need to improve consistency as we have experienced one or two periods of less reliable performance over the last three months.

"We are also continuing to listen to customer feedback in respect of the new timetable. As a result of this dialogue, we have introduced some adjustments to the timetable providing additional stops on key services and further positive discussions are taking place with Rail User Groups and other stakeholders."

The SRA's national passenger survey also showed that overall satisfaction ratings were at their best since spring 2000, with 76% of passengers very or fairly satisfied with their overall journey in autumn 2004 compared with 73% in autumn 2003.

Complaints per 100,000 journeys in autumn 2004 also fell by 12.1% compared with autumn 2003.