Above: New Greater Anglia trains at London Liverpool Street station. Credit: Greater Anglia The number of Greater Anglia trains running On Time increased this year compared to last year, new figures show. The Office of Rail and Road has published its latest Passenger Rail Performance results which measures rail punctuality each month between April to June this year using the new On Time measure – which is based on a train arriving early or within a minute of the scheduled time at every station along the route. The On Time figures show that 87.4% of Greater Anglia trains arrived On Time during this period, up 0.9% on the same period last year. The operator also improved reliability, with fewer cancellations, by 1.5% on the previous year. Nationally only TfL / the Elizabeth Line recorded better punctuality than Greater Anglia and only Chiltern Railway did better for reliability. Gradually the rail industry is moving to using the On Time figures instead of the Public Performance Measure (PPM) which records trains arriving within five minutes of the scheduled time. During 2021, Greater Anglia saw record-breaking PPM punctuality across all of its routes – recording its best ever annual average punctuality of 94.81 per cent, up from 92.97% in 2020, with Intercity trains reaching an annual average punctuality result of 94.82% – up from 91.56% in 2020. The company then achieved a new record annual punctuality figure of 95.03% in February 2022. Greater Anglia’s Head of Performance and Planning, Keith Palmer, said, “It’s really encouraging to see that our On Time punctuality figures have been improving as the industry moves closer to a transition to this measure. “Across the business, teams have been working hard to continue to run a reliable, punctual service and our more reliable new train fleet, closer partnership working with Network Rail and other key suppliers and recent infrastructure upgrades are all helping to deliver continued improvements for rail passengers in the region.” Alongside several important infrastructure upgrades, and a sustained focus by Greater Anglia on improving performance over the last few years, the operator’s new fleet of trains are credited with driving a noticeable step-change in punctuality and reliability. They benefit from quicker acceleration and braking which has positively impacted punctuality and service resilience, and during Autumn 2021, Greater Anglia recorded it best-ever autumn punctuality scores due to the trains’ improved ability to cope with the challenges of the season – such as slippery rails caused by falling leaves. Greater Anglia and Network Rail have also worked together to develop a new set of plans focusing on train and infrastructure performance which includes planning for severe weather conditions and planning for recovery as quickly as possible from service disruption.
