Media centre

Notes to editors

PPM:

PPM is a % measure of passenger trains arriving ‘on time’ at their scheduled destination. For long distance trains ‘on time’ is within 10 minutes of the timetabled arrival time, for all others it is within 5 minutes.


MAA:

Moving annual average

Note: The data contained within this report is for initial indications only and is subject to change in subsequent publications.

1. ScotRail PPM was severely affected by the extreme weather conditions experienced across Scotland at the start of December. In particular, the gale force winds on December 8 required Network Rail to introduce a blanket 50mph speed restriction which resulted in ScotRail having to reduce service levels across many routes. Weather-related incidents accounted from more than 40% of the route’s delay minutes total for Period 9.
2. Arrived on time - the measure of train punctuality also known as PPM (public performance measure) means trains arriving at their destinations within five minutes for commuter services and within 10 minutes for long distance services. This measure of punctuality is commonly used throughout Europe.
3. National train punctuality is measured for all trains across the whole network, including cancelled services and delays caused by external factors (such as vandalism, extreme weather, suicides etc). Punctuality did not start to be recorded in this vigorous and thorough way until 1997. Before then Railtrack, and BR before it, did not measure all services and also excluded external factors and other items from their numbers.
4. These figures represent provisional data for the period and individual operators' performance data may vary slightly from the full period performance report that Network Rail publishes on its website every month.
5. Network Rail and the train operators run more trains across Great Britain than are run in most European countries - almost 20% more than in France and 60% more than in Italy. Great Britain's 24,000 trains per-day is also more than Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Norway combined.