If you asked a regular train passenger how frequently their train arrived late, their answer would be interesting: our guess would be that people assume more trains run late than is actually the case.
The late trains always stick in people’s heads. You rarely hear anyone remarking that their train was on time that morning – it’s the late ones that stick in the mind and which are (rightly) cause for complaint.
So how many are actually on time? Network Rail monitors all train journeys and logs which are on time. It also plots the year-on-year improvement (or decline).
It’s worth explaining at this point what counts as ‘on time’. The ‘PPM’ is the industry standard method for calculating train punctuality. It is used across Europe, and does allow for a small margin of error. Basically, any long-distance train that arrives within ten minutes of its intended time is considered to be on time. The same goes for any short-hop commuter train that arrives within five minutes of its intended time.
Basically, in August 2015, 90.3% of trains ran on time – an improvement from 88.8% for the same period in 2014. If you plot a graph of PPM performance over the past 13 years, then this is what you get:
What’s more, you can check to see how your local/preferred train company is getting on with hitting its targets. The below chart shows the PPM for each train operator across the country:
So, broadly, the performance is pretty good. Yes, it is incredibly frustrating if you’re on one of the 10 per cent, but as a system of transport, the train remains faster, more reliable and less prone to delays than travelling by car, especially over long journeys. Plus, you can read, or do some work, or just relax.
This is just a taste of the facts and figures that Network Rail collects about train punctuality. If you want to explore these in more depth, you can find more information here.
In the meantime, please remember to head to our home page for all your train ticket needs.
