Rail bosses are preparing to scrap rules that allow trains to be classed as “on time” despite running almost ten minutes late.
As part of major reforms of the network announced today, from April 2019 services will be expected to reach individual stations within a minute of their scheduled arrival time to avoid being officially classed as late.
The new system will use GPS data to track the time that trains stop at every station rather than just the final destination, which is the current measure.
The change is expected to be incorporated into contracts between the government and rail companies from 2019 onwards, raising the prospect of operators being hit with heavy fines if trains regularly run more than a minute late.
Penalties could also be given to Network Rail for failures to the rail infrastructure that prevent trains reaching stations on time.
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The reforms are a significant step for an industry that has been reluctant to move towards a system of “right-time” performance for fear of damaging confidence in the rail network.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators and Network Rail, said that the change represented the “most transparent” measure of train times in Europe. It will initially be published alongside the existing system that classes intercity trains as “on time” if they reach their final destination within ten minutes.
For shorter commuter services, the limit is set at five minutes.
The changes are expected to lead to an initial sharp rise in the number of trains being classed as late.
Over the past year, 88 per cent of trains arrived at their final destination within five or ten minutes of the timetable. However, the proportion dropped to 63.2 per cent using the “right-time” measure. This means that an average of 8,832 trains ran late every day.
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Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, the passenger watchdog, said: “Passengers want a reliable, on-time train service. How that performance is measured and reported should, our research shows, closely mirror passengers’ real life experience, otherwise trust will not be built up.”