Midland Mainline tops rail table

Midland Mainline jumps up the rail reliability table

Train punctuality in the East Midlands is getting better on three out of four services, according to new figures.

GNER and Virgin Cross Country slightly improved in the year from spring 2004, with Midland Mainline trains at their highest level of punctuality ever.

But Central Trains' long-distance services slipped slightly, said the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) survey.

Across the country, the passenger survey showed 77% were very or fairly satisfied with their journey overall.

'Big improvement'

Midland Mainline, a Derby-based firm which runs services from Sheffield to London, saw its punctuality level rise to 90.2% from 80.4% a year earlier, while GNER's results rose to 79.2% from 76.9%.

East Midlands operators' reliability - Spring 2005 (Spring 2004) Midland Mainline 90.2% (80.4%) Virgin Cross Country 82.7% (80.7%) GNER 79.2% (76.9% Central Trains 76.4% (78.2%)

Central Trains had the worst results at 74.6% - a drop from a punctuality rate of 78.2% a year earlier.

Virgin CrossCountry, which runs some services in Derbyshire, improved its results from 80.7% to 82.7%.

Midland Mainline, which was the least efficient long-distance operator in the UK at the end of 2003, has made a big improvement in its results in the past few years.

Spokesperson Emma Knight said: "No stone has been left unturned - we have looked at bringing in additional trains and we bring in a spare train if we have problems with any of our fleet.

"We have looked at everything to make sure our performance improved."

SRA chairman David Quarmby said: "Passengers can take heart from another set of good performance and reliability figures at a time when they are travelling in greater numbers than at any time since the 1960s."