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Less than half of services arrive on time at 19 Scottish stations

Fewer than half of service arrived on time at 19 stations across Scotland between 28 May and 24 June 2017, new figures released by ScotRail have today shown.

In some stations, such as Arbroath, the percentage of trains that terminated at the station on time (within 59 seconds of its scheduled time) was 13.4%, whilst the proportion that arrived on time was only 38.8%.

This is despite the fact that the public performance measure (PPM, or the number of trains arriving or terminating at a station within five minutes of its scheduled time – rather than the 59-second measure) stood at an impressive 95.4% last week, up from 90% from the same period last year. This amounts to the ScotRail Alliance’s annual moving average performance standing at 90.5%.

It follows on from the steady improvement that has been seen on the Scottish network from the start of this year when a third consecutive PPM increase was recorded by ScotRail.

But critics in Scotland have said that the fact that less than half of services at 19 stations arrive on time was evidence that more needed to be done to improve services.

“These latest results may have a positive headline figure, but the devil is always in the detail,” said Neil Bibby, Scottish Labour transport spokesman. “The fact that fewer than half of services arrive on time at 19 stations is quite frankly unacceptable.

“Humza Yousaf cannot allow a repeat of the chaos that blighted the rail network last autumn and winter, and that means getting on top of performance when weather is better during the summer months.”

However, Perry Ramsey, operations director at the ScotRail Alliance, argued otherwise: “This performance is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated staff, who work tirelessly to make sure customers can travel on Scotland’s railway with as little fuss as possible.

“When we are undertaking the biggest upgrade to Scotland’s rail network since Victorian times, this is an impressive performance and confirms that we continue to deliver for our passengers.”

Ramsey added that ScotRail would never rest on its laurels and knew disruption was frustrating for passengers, but explained that it would continue to work hard to build a better railway for the country.

“The major improvements we are making to our service – from the electrification of the Glasgow to Edinburgh line, to the delivery of new trains, to the upgrades to stations all across Scotland – will ultimately mean faster journeys, more seats and better services for Scotland’s passengers,” he concluded.

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