New figures published today (Friday, 23 October) show that work to prepare for the effects of autumn resulted in more trains arriving on time, and the best performing September of the Abellio franchise.
Across Scotland, 92.3 per cent of ScotRail trains met the rail industry standard public performance measure (PPM) in the period 20 September to 17 October 2020 – the best September-October performance since the start of the Abellio franchise.
The strong levels of train punctuality mean that ScotRail Moving Annual Average (MAA) has improved to 90.3 per cent.
Specialist teams across Scotland’s Railway have been working around-the-clock, and investing millions of pounds, to keep tracks clear of leaves and debris and keep our customers moving this autumn.
Every autumn, trees drop thousands of tonnes of leaves onto railway infrastructure and these can break down into a slippery surface that can cause train wheels to lose grip – making it harder for them to stop quickly.
Network Rail’s fleet of specialist rail-head treatment trains have been deployed to clean tracks and coat them with a special adhesive to help trains keep their grip, while leaf-busting teams clear debris direct from the rails, and additional staff clean ScotRail trains’ wheels at depots.
David Simpson, ScotRail Operations Director, said:
“We’ve been working very closely with our Network Rail colleagues to keep customers moving this autumn and these latest figures show that work is paying off.
“By continuing to deliver a punctual and reliable service, we’re providing a critical service for those tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
“As they’ve done throughout the outbreak, staff across Scotland’s Railway will continue to work flat out to deliver for our customers during these challenging autumn months.”