Chiltern top for punctuality says Network Rail
MAINLINE operator Chiltern Railways has recorded its highest ever performance figures as it pushes to become one of the top train operators in the UK.
The latest official industry figures from Network Rail, based on the percentage of services that arrive at their destination within four minutes 59 seconds of their scheduled time, revealed that 97.80% of Chiltern Railways trains arrived on time between April 27 and May 24, 2014, the highest of all train operators during that period.
Crucially for Chiltern the figures were well ahead of those of rival, Virgin, which operates the West Coast Main Line franchise on behalf of the Department for Transport.
Chiltern’s performance is the highest it has achieved since the formation of the company in 1996, beating its previous best ever result of 97.56% in the summer of 1997.
Rob Brighouse, managing director at Chiltern Railways said: “We and our customers take punctuality very seriously and these fantastic results reinforce our commitment to delivering a punctual and reliable service for our passengers. This would not have been possible without the commitment, enthusiasm and hard work of our staff from across the business and our partners at Network Rail.”
Liam Sumpter, area director at Network Rail added: “The 97.8% performance figure is the highest ever achieved by Chiltern Railways and is the result of the hard work of everyone involved from both the train operator and Network Rail. Demand for travel on the Chiltern Railways routes is increasing and we will continue to work together to provide the best possible level of service to passengers.”
Chiltern operates the Mainline service between Birmingham and London Marylebone. The Birmingham business community is deliberately targeted by the operator as it is keen to be seen as a viable alternative to Virgin for journeys to the capital.
