Right of Reply: George Muir

The Association of Train Operating Companies' director replies to our list of 30 railway mishaps

EVERY RAIL journey should be comfortable and punctual. Here are just 30 of the things we are doing to achieve this.

1 Train operators are running 1,200 more trains a day.

2 There is a vast range of fares that offer customers exceptional value.

3 Extra services to be fitted on to the congested network.

4 The National Rail Enquiry Service makes train information much easier to obtain.

5 800 new drivers are being trained this year.

6 70 extra trains for golf fans to the British Open.

7 More train staff and more station staff.

8 London-Stansted route is being upgraded.

9 The historic Ouse Valley viaduct has been restored.

10 More trains on order, including 120 for Connex.

11 A pounds 63m refurbishment of Paddington Station.

12 Railtrack's pounds 1bn Station Regeneration Programme has improved 1,300 stations.

13 Stansted Skytrain is to recruit an extra 80 cabin crew.

14 pounds 596m contracts to upgrade West Coast Main Line.

15 Working to teach children not to play on the rails.

16 Midland Mainline has doubled the number of services along the M1 corridor.

17 Railtrack has a pounds 27bn, 10-year investment programme.

18 Removing the Leeds bottleneck.

19 Better rail-bus links.

20 Monthly meetings to identify and fix problems.

21 New train protection war-ning system to be installed.

22 Devices to give trains better grip on icy or leaf-covered rails are being tested.

23 A planned upgrade of the East Coast main line.

24 Four Derbyshire villages have been re-linked to the rail network after 30 years.

25 Midland Mainline is offering Belper people new services to London and Sheffield.

26 West Brompton, London's first new station for 100 years, opened this year.

27 Oxford rail station has new facilities.

28 All rail stations will have information systems.

29 3.6 million more tonnes of freight are being carried.

30 pounds 39m is being spent on security.