More trains, more seats…
Passenger numbers have grown substantially in the last decade to
levels not seen for nearly a century, and every indication is that such
growth will continue. Over the next 25 years, we expect the numbers of
passenger journeys rise by between 40 per cent in the South East of
England and 100 per cent in the other urban areas of the country. Our
2009 Control Period 4 delivery plan sets out how we will meet these
major opportunities in passenger growth.
…better journeys
This year, we have seen record levels of punctuality, passenger satisfaction and safety performance.
Improved punctuality and less delay minutes
Punctuality and the public performance measure (PPM) continue to
improve, reaching highs against recorded history. PPM is the overall
rail industry key performance indicator measuring punctuality and
reliability of train performance. Average PPM in 2009/10 was 91.5 per
cent (2008/09: 90.6 per cent). This is ahead of the target of 91 per
cent by the end of 2009/10, and was achieved despite the impact of
severe weather last winter.
By April 2014 our target is that 92.6 per cent of trains should
arrive on time. Everyone’s time is valuable and that underpins
everything we do.
Increasing passenger satisfaction
Independent passenger surveys are carried out regularly to monitor levels of satisfaction with the rail service.
Passenger Focus, the independent national consumer watchdog for
Britain’s rail passengers carries out over 26,000 passenger
questionnaires across the whole rail network every spring and autumn.
The latest results of their national survey (for Spring 2010, the
period between 24 January and 29 March 2010) show that nationally, the
percentage of passengers satisfied with their journey overall is 83 per
cent. This is significantly up (by 2 per cent) compared to spring 2009
when 81 per cent of passengers were satisfied. 83 per cent of passengers
were also satisfied overall with their journey in autumn 2009 and we
aim to continue to build on this strong performance over the coming
year.
Improved passenger safety
In 2009/10, we saw a continuing improvement in passenger safety. The
safety risk to passengers associated with Network Rail activity fell by
almost 15 per cent during 2009/10. We continue to strive for further
improvement, particularly to prevent fatalities on the railway. More
information on safety can be found in our 2010 Annual Report and
Accounts.