East Midlands Trains punctuality improvement programme is going from strength to strength, with the latest figures showing punctuality at 90.9%, the best recorded since the start of the new franchise on 11 November 2007.
Tim Shoveller, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “It’s fantastic to see that our initiative to improve punctuality and reliability across the network is starting to pay off.
“We know that our passengers want reliable trains, and we are determined to deliver punctual trains, day in, day out. Through our own internal improvement initiative, and by working closely with Network Rail, passengers are already starting to see real improvements. However, we are determined to keep on getting better and better, and building on the solid foundations we now have in place.”
East Midlands Trains performance improvement programme has included:
Launch of the "Right Time Railway", an initiative to improve train punctuality, which has included issuing radio-controlled watches and new whistles to all staff to emphasise the importance of on-time despatch of trains
Move to a new joint control centre, shared with Network Rail, to improve communication on day-to-day operation of services
Dedicated performance drives and improved service recovery arrangements on several different routes, including Derby to Matlock and the Robin Hood line
Introduction of an internal delay hotline
Improved processes, including better contingency plans and a new performance management system.
Network Rail’s route director Dyan Crowther said, “This is excellent news and comes as a result of hard work and a close working relationship with East Midlands Trains.
“Having them working alongside us in our flagship control centre in Derby is paying dividends. When a problem arises, we can quickly get to the root of the issue and find a solution with people sat in the same room as us, rather than dealing with them at the other end of a telephone.
”The end result is less delay and frustration for the travelling public.”