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Merseyrail records performance dip in period 4

Merseyrail saw a surprising dip in performance during period 4, as Network Rail PPM measures showed that the operator fell to some way below its usual high-performing standards.

Though Merseyrail’s PPM – the percentage of trains arriving within four minutes of their scheduled time – was still high at 90.7%, it fell short of the 96.1% it had recorded for the same period last year, and the 95.7% that it set in period 3 this year.

It is also a 4.9 percentage point drop from its moving annual average of 95.6%. Elsewhere, GTR continued with slight improvements, moving off the bottom spot to 85%, the same as Virgin West Coast.

The worst performing TOC for period 4 was on the Great Western Railway where performance dropped from 88.1% in period 4 last year to 83.2%.

The figure for cancellation and significant lateness (CaSL) also threw up some surprising results. By some way, Virgin West Coast recorded highest CaSL, as its figure stood at 7.4%, more than double the figure for period 4 2016-17.

Govia also considerably turned its performance around from last year, where more than one in 10 (12%) of trains were CaSL to bring their figure down to 5.1% in period 4.

Merseyrail did not perform as badly in the CaSL figures, though they did perform worse than in period 4 last year, going up from 1.8% to 3.1%.

Today’s PPM statistics also follow news that major changes are on the horizon for how PPM is recorded, as TOCs will be publishing performance data to the minute by 2019.

RTM has contacted Merseyrail for comment.

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