Rail companies could be fined if trains are one minute late in bid to improve network

Plans to scrap rule saying a train can be classed as 'on time' when it is up to ten minutes late

Caroline Mortimer
Tuesday 21 June 2016 22:45 BST
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Under the new rules, Britain would have the ‘toughest measure of train punctuality’ in Europe
Under the new rules, Britain would have the ‘toughest measure of train punctuality’ in Europe

Rail companies will be fined if their trains are just a minute late under new plans to improve the network.

Rail bosses are considering scrapping rules that allow companies to claim trains have arrived on time despite being up to ten minutes late.

Current rules allow for a five minute window for commuter trains and ten minutes for long-distance services.

The Rail Delivery Group, a Government body which represents train companies and Network Rail, has said it wants to abolish the current Public Performance Measure (PPM) in favour a “right-time” system which only gives the trains 59 seconds to get to the station.

A spokesman for the group told The Independent that they are “looking into” changing the rules following discussions with several different bodies.

If implemented, the new rules would come into effect from April 2019 when Network Rail’s new five-year Government funding block starts.

Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, Paul Plummer, said: “We want our passengers to know that every minute counts which is why we're leading work to bring together train operators, Network Rail, passenger groups and Government to improve how train punctuality is measured.

“We want to ensure our passengers have the best information to plan their journey and that they trust what we tell them about train punctuality”.

He said under the new rules, Britain would have the “toughest measure of train punctuality” in Europe.

Train companies have come under fire for poor performance in recent years.

One service, the 7:29am Southern Rail commuter train from Brighton to London Victoria, was found to have never been on time for the entirety of 2014.

Network Rail was given a record £53.1m fine the same year after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which oversees the network, found that one in six long-distance trains were late in 2013.

The chief executive of the ORR, Joanna Whittington, told The Times: “The feeling is that public confidence has gone in [PPM] because it allows trains that are ten minutes late to be recorded as on time.

“For the public, that is utterly incomprehensible.”

It comes as thousands of commuters face fresh delays as workers go out on strike on the Southern network in an ongoing dispute about plans to introduce driver-only trains.

The new rules will mean drivers have to close the doors themselves before setting off rather than relying on conductors.

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