MSP slams Scotrail time-keeping figures
Just 60.8 per cent of trains on time
Only sixty per cent of trains arriving at Stirling station turned up on time, new figures have revealed.
According to the latest Scotrail data only 60.8 per cent of services arrived at Stirling within 59 seconds of their booked arrival time, having called at all booked stations on the route.
And only 70.4 per cent of services that terminate at Stirling arrived on time.
At Dunblane station, only 66.1 per cent of trains arrived on time, with 76.8 per cent of services which terminate there arriving on time.
Scotrail also released its public performance measure (PPM), which refers to the percentage of trains that arrived or terminated within 4 minutes 59 seconds of the scheduled time, having called at all stations. For Stirling, 89.7 per cent arrived within five minutes, compared with 88.9 per cent at Dunblane.
The figures, from April 29 to May 26 this year, reveal the percentage of services arriving and terminating at stations.
No figures were recorded for Bridge of Allan as it is not a terminating station.
Scotrail’s overall performance is measured on a moving annual average – a rolling average PPM figure over the previous 12 months.
On the new figures, a Scotrail Alliance spokesperson said: “The most recent published figures show that nine out of ten Scotrail trains met their punctuality target. We also pledged to suspend skip–stopping, except as a last resort, and that is exactly what has happened. Customers are feeling the benefit of this improvement, but we know that there is more to do to deliver the service they deserve.”
Speaking about the figures for Dunblane and Stirling stations, MidScotland and Fife MSP, Alexander Stewart said: “These figures come as no surprise. I use this line every day and Scotrail seems to be constantly behind the curve with ageing rolling stock, a near-Victorian infrastructure and never seeming to learn from previous mistakes.
“Many of the local residents come to me either personally or contact me by email or telephone with their experiences of packed carriages, skip–stopping and poor punctuality, which begs the question as to whether they will ever get this right or even come close to their targets. There are promises of improvements but even some of these time scales have moved from 2018 to 2019 now, which is highly disappointing.
“I will continue to question ScotRail and maintain pressure until something positive is done.”
The latest statistics come in the same week in which a Scotrail survey says that four out of five passengers are satisfied with the operator.
The National Rail Passenger Survey, carried out by the independent watchdog Transport Focus, found that 84 per cent of 1,400 Scotrail customers surveyed are satisfied with the train operator.
The survey was carried out earlier this year, during the Beast from the East snow storm and survey showed that customer satisfaction with Scotrail is higher than the UK average.
In March this year the Observer reported how rail commuters between Dunblane and Edinburgh blasted the service as “utterly shocking”.
Frequent passengers on Scotrail services to and from the capital have told of regularly overcrowded services, delays and cancellations daily.
In May, a public meeting was held to give frustrated passengers their say.
I will continue to question ScotRail and maintain pressure