Train punctuality and reliability in Scotland was at its highest level in 17 years last month as the railways recovered from disruption caused by signalling equipment and bad weather earlier in the year, Network Rail announced yesterday.
A total of 93.5% of trains across the UK ran on time, with performance for services in Scotland slightly higher, the best result since records began in 1992.
Network Rail, the not-for-dividend company responsible for maintaining Britain's rail infrastructure, said the performance figures reflected steady improvements in maintenance, renewals and timetabling introduced since it took over from the collapsed Railtrack in 2002.
But it faced criticism from Virgin Trains, one of only two train operators to have seen its punctuality figures worsen over the last financial year, over continued problems on the cross-border West Coast main line, despite a £9bn package of improvements completed last December.
Rail unions also disputed the rate of performance improvements, claiming they compared unfavourably to the punctuality of trains under British Rail.
Virgin saw below-average punctuality and reliability of 80.3% in the period between April 1 and May 2, prompting Sir Richard Branson, who owns a 49% stake in the company, to hold a meeting last week with Iain Coucher, Network Rail's chief executive.
The company has seen its performance improve since 2004, when punctuality stood at 72%.
However, a spokesman said it was "disappointed" not to be able to offer the same improvements seen elsewhere on the network, blaming a combination of track renewals on the northern section of the West Coast Main Line and infrastructure failures at the southern end.
Network Rail was responsible for around three-quarters of the delays on the cross-border route last month, while Virgin was blamed for around 15% of delays.
Train punctuality across the rail network dipped sharply at the beginning of this decade after speed restrictions were brought in following the October 2000 Hatfield rail crash. When Network Rail took over responsibility for rail infrastructure in 2002, punctuality was less than 79%.
In Scotland, train punctuality was recorded at 93.7% last month as ScotRail, which runs 95% of services north of the border, enjoyed service improvements.
Trains running along the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, operated by National Express East Coast, also saw improvements, with 92% of trains running on time last month.
Network Rail claimed train companies had benefited from its decision in 2004 to bring track maintenance in-house from seven private contracting companies and improvements in the rail infrastructure such as track, signals, embankments, tunnels and bridges.
Alec McTavish, director of policy and operations at the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: "Delivering the best-ever level of punctuality is a significant achievement by all parts of the rail industry, particularly as we ran an additional one million more timetabled trains last year than British Rail did just before privatisation."
A spokesman for Network Rail said it was committed to bringing punctuality on the West Coast Main Line up to 90% and was exploring ways of limiting disruption to passengers during essential track renewals work.
However, Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA transport union, said Network Rail's performance compared unfavourably with that of British Rail. "The old InterCity services regularly reported punctuality figures of 92% and the biggest part of BR, Southern, regularly reported figures of 95% during the early 1990s," he said.
Meanwhile, Stewart Stevenson, the Scottish Transport Minister, yesterday announced a £1m fund to help businesses and communities bring redundant or disused station buildings back into use.
The Stations Community Regeneration Fund (SCRF) will see funding granted by the government agency Transport Scotland for the costs of structural repairs and to provide up to 50% of the costs of fitting out station premises for their intended use.
It has been funded as part of the £70m package of improvements agreed as part of the three-year extension of the First ScotRail franchise.
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