The late train arriving...

LESS THAN HALF OF NORTHERN SERVICES ARRIVE WITHIN MINUTE OF SCHEDULED TIME, SAY OPERATOR’S OWN DATA

LESS than half of all Northern trains arrived at their destinations on time last month, the under-fire operator has revealed.

Performance statistics published by the operator covering a period from October 13 to November 9 reveal just 45.4 per cent of services arrived at station stops within a minute of their scheduled arrival time.

It’s understood to represent the lowest figure since the chaos of the introduction of the new timetable in summer last year.

The statistics cover all Northern trains and stations in the north west and the north, not just in Greater Manchester.

Analysis of punctuality figures from previous months show ontime arrivals, classed as those within a minute of the scheduled timetable, only fluctuate between 53 per cent and 62 per cent.

Northern, part of the Arriva Group, has apologised to passengers, but stressed the latest figures were affected by flooding which led to track closures.

The mayor of Greater Manchester has called repeatedly for Northern to have its franchise stripped, citing late arrivals, cancellations, axed Sunday services and socalled ‘short-formed’ trains those that turn up with carriages missing.

And last month Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, told MPs he was considering taking the rail operator out of private ownership and placing it under the control of a state-owned operator. Mr Burnham told the M.E.N.: “Northern’s performance continues to go from bad to worse.

“The next transport secretary’s first act should be to Northern of their franchise.”

A Northern spokesman said: “We have delivered on our commitment to increase the number of train services.

“We now operate 2,000 more services each week than at the start of the franchise.

“This means we will deliver 30 per cent more ‘train miles’ in 2019 than in 2016.

“By the end of the year, almost 110 million journeys will have been made using Northern trains in 2019 – that’s a record for the north.

“And yet there has been no real increase in track capacity since 2016, which has led to more congested railways across the north,” he said. strip

45.4% Amount of Northern services arriving within a minute of scheduled time