Updated: Updated figures
DfT Business Plan input indicator
Geographical coverage: DfT franchised train operators (Great Britain)
Information broken down by: Train operator
Latest data
93.1% of trains arrived at their destination on time between 26 May 2013 and 22 June 2013 in Great Britain, a decrease from 92.9% for the same period last year (GB total). The GB average headline figure incorporates Public Performance Measure (PPM) averages for operators franchised by devolved administrations (Arriva Trains Wales, First Scotrail, London Overground and Merseyrail), and non-franchised operators (Grand Central, Heathrow Express and Hull Trains), however, the following table covers only DfT franchised operators.
Public Performance Measure (PPM) for DfT franchised Train Operating Companies1
Percentage of trains running on time 2012-13 P3 and 2013-14 P3 2
| Latest rail period | Latest rail period | Moving Annual Average (MAA) | Moving Annual Average (MAA) | |
| Train Operating Company | 2012-13 P3 | 2013-14 P3 | 2012-13 P3 | 2013-14 P3 |
| c2c | 97.9% | 97.8% | 97.0% | 97.3% |
| Chiltern Railways | 94.6% | 95.1% | 92.9% | 95.2% |
| CrossCountry | 89.7% | 91.1% | 89.2% | 87.3% |
| East Coast | 90.5% | 87.8% | 86.7% | 83.9% |
| East Midlands Trains | 94.0% | 93.3% | 93.5% | 92.5% |
| First Capital Connect | 89.9% | 91.3% | 89.3% | 88.6% |
| First Great Western | 92.2% | 92.1% | 90.7% | 89.1% |
| First TransPennine Express | 92.6% | 92.5% | 93.3% | 91.9% |
| Greater Anglia3 | 93.2% | 94.5% | 90.9% | 92.7% |
| London Midland | 91.0% | 88.5% | 90.2% | 85.6% |
| Northern Rail | 93.3% | 92.9% | 91.9% | 90.6% |
| Southeastern | 92.7% | 94.8% | 91.5% | 91.3% |
| Southern | 90.9% | 93.1% | 89.6% | 88.1% |
| South West Trains | 93.2% | 94.3% | 91.9% | 91.8% |
| Virgin Trains | 88.8% | 84.7% | 85.5% | 83.4% |
1These are provisional statistics and are subject to revision.
2Period 3 2012/13 ran from 27 May 2012 to 23 June 2012.
Period 3 2013/14 ran from 26 May 2013 to 22 June 2013.
3Formerly National Express East Anglia. Greater Anglia took over the franchise on 5 February 2012.
Source: Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)
View this data in an interactive chart
Between 3 March 2013 and 31 March 2013, 97.2% of c2c services arrived at their destination on time, the highest figure for any DfT franchised train operator. East Coast had the lowest figure with 82.8% of trains on time.
Following restrictions brought in after the Hatfield crash in October 2000, PPM fell sharply across the country, and took nearly a decade to recover to previous levels. Since 2008/09 national PPM has generally been above 90%.
The ‘Proportion of trains arriving on time’ Excel file contains a longer time series of PPM figures for each of the DfT franchised train operators.
Background information
The Public Performance Measure (PPM) combines figures for punctuality and reliability into a single performance record. It covers all scheduled franchised passenger services, seven days a week and measures the arrival punctuality of individual trains at their destination against their planned timetable. These plans, technically called ‘plan of the day’, are usually the same as the published timetable with amendments reflecting pre-published engineering amendments; however, they may differ from their originally published timetable. Services that are cancelled or fail to operate their entire route, calling at every station, count as a PPM failure.
PPM represents the percentage of trains which are ‘on time’ compared to the total number of trains planned. A train is defined as on time if it arrives at its destination within five minutes of the scheduled destination arrival time for London and South East and regional operators; or within ten minutes for long-distance operators.
PPM can fluctuate widely period-by-period for many reasons, many of which are not within the control of the train operators. For example poor PPM performance can also be caused by other train operators or Network Rail. More information is available from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) and on Network Rail’s and individual operators’ websites. PPM data can be expressed either for the time period, or as a Moving Annual Average (MAA) which is an average for the most recent 13 four-week reporting periods. MAA figures smooth out short-term fluctuations and highlight the annual background performance.
publishing schedule: 4 weekly
last updated: 25 July 2013
Further information about this indicator can be found in the measurement template.
Other related data and information
PPM data are published on the Office of Rail Regulation Data Portal.
Further information
Business Plan 2012-2015
Input and impact indicators
Analyst contact: rail.stats@dft.gsi.gov.uk
