09.05.17
After over two years at the bottom, GTR no longer worst-performing TOC
After over two years of coming at the bottom of performance tables for operator punctuality, especially since its absorption of the entire TSGN franchise, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is finally in the clear.
In the public performance measure (PPM) figures for the first period this financial year (1 April – 29 April), Network Rail revealed that GTR is no longer the worst-performing operator in the country, a label that has been attributed to the TOC since late 2014 due to wide-ranging factors – from engineering works at London Bridge to a string of strike action over the past year.
For period 1, it has recorded a PPM of 85%, a marginal increase from its performance this time last year (83.9%) and a far cry from its usual performance of below 80% – which the ORR believes accounted for 86% of the decline in the nationwide PPM, and which has also been blamed for its parent company’s whopping 35% half-year profit dip.
Below GTR in the first period of 2017-18 were First Hull Trains (at 84.3%) and Caledonian Sleeper (at 79.3%).
The former marks a significant drop of almost seven percentage points compared to its performance figure of 90.9% in period 1 last year, whilst Caledonian’s PPM represents an even sharper plunge of almost 14 percentage points from 93.2%. It is also the only operator with a PPM figure below 80%.
Nationally, the overall performance figure stood at 91.9%, a marginal rise from the PPM of 91.3% this time last year.
Amongst the top-performing operators was, as usual, c2c, with a PPM of 94.3%. But it was another TOC which stole the show this period: coming at the top of the performance chart was Merseyrail, with a whopping performance of 98.2% after just 0.6% of its services experienced cancellations or significant lateness (CaSL) of 30 minutes or more last month.
Although this was the lowest CaSL figure amongst operators, other commendable performances included Chiltern (1.4%), TfL Rail (1.5%), and East Midlands Trains, Heathrow Express, Northern and Southeastern, all of which recorded a figure of 1.6%.
Virgin Trains East Coast, on the other hand, saw 7% of its services suffer significant delays or cancellations, marking the worst CaSL figure across the board – followed by Grand Central, at 6.3%.
(Top image c. Andrew Matthews)