Standard of train services was in steep decline before the collapse of Railtrack

The standard of rail services had plummeted even before Railtrack was taken into administration, it was disclosed yesterday.

The Strategic Rail Authority said that in the six months to October the punctuality of trains operated by 21 of the 25 companies deteriorated considerably. Operators were forced to pay penalties totalling £41.2m, compared with £6.2m in the corresponding period of 2000. For the 12 months ending 13 October the companies paid penalties of £136m compared with just £17.8m for the previous year. The year-on-year figures provide further evidence that the Hatfield derailment resulted in some of the worst disruption to the network seen in peacetime.

However the slump in performance even when Hatfield is not taken into account will give cause for deep concern. The operators with the worst deterioration in performance over the six months to October were Virgin CrossCountry with 40.9 per cent of trains late – some 17 per cent worse; Great Western 31.2 per cent – a 16 per cent deterioration; and West Anglia Great Northern where 21.4 per cent of services failed to arrive on time – a decline of 12 per cent.

It is expected that figures which fully take into account the period after 5 October when Railtrack was taken into administration will show a sharp decline on comparable performance in previous years. Most industry observers believe the infrastructure company's bankruptcy has had a massive impact on the morale of employees.

Yesterday's figures from the rail authority also showed that just six of the 25 train companies had fewer complaints in April-October 2001 than in the same period last year. A survey of passengers revealed that 64 per cent were satisfied with punctuality of services compared with 68 per cent in autumn last year.

Mike Grant, chief executive of the authority, said a backlog of maintenance post-Hatfield, a shortage of train drivers in some areas and the initial poor reliability of new rolling stock had all contributed to the poor performance this year.

Stewart Francis, chairman of the Rail Passengers Council, said: "The poorly performing parts of the industry must get a grip to improve on this quite appalling showing. The key to improvement will be getting Railtrack out of administration as soon as possible and into a company limited by guarantee." But he said train operators could not attribute all their failures to Railtrack. Delays caused by operators also increased.

George Muir, director general of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said that given a period of stability, the industry was fully capable of sorting out the problems. He added that punctuality normally fell by about 10 per cent each autumn and the latest evidence was that safety was being maintained.

The Transport minister John Spellar said the performance figures ended "the myth" that the railways were improving before Railtrack was taken into administration. He said he was determined to establish a structure that put the interests of customers first.