A survey of national rail trends published today claims nine out of ten trains on Britain’s’ busiest rail routes are now running on time – but the results mask a dismal performance in the  Midlands according to a regional public transport watchdog.

“Once again Central Trains’ performance is bottom of the league and passengers in the West Midlands deserve much better,” says Cllr Gary Clarke, chairman of the region’s Passenger Transport Authority.  He has called for a ‘summit’ meeting with the train operator to discuss the issue.

“We have more people than ever using public transport and this is the greatest hope we have in the battle against congestion,” adds Cllr Clarke.

More than a quarter of services operated by Central Trains arrived late during the period January to March 2005 – an increase of 16 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.

The average for all other regional operators shows only one in eight trains not keeping to the timetable.  In London and the South East around 90 per cent of services are on time.

The survey by the Government’s Strategic Rail Authority highlights the importance of investment in the West Midlands rail network, says Cllr Clarke.   The continued poor performance of Central Trains is partly due to the severe capacity problems at the heart of the national network, where inter-city, regional and local services are all competing for the same track.

Statistics from West Midlands public transport promoter Centro show that one in five commuters now travel by train in the Birmingham rush-hour – and around half of those passengers have left a car behind in the drive or at a park and ride site.  Centro’s free park and rides now take more than 2½ million car journeys a year off the region’s congested roads.

Background: SRA news release
9 out of 10 trains on time on Britain's busiest rail routes