When is a late train really late? [BBC News]





Date: 05/05/2015

There are different ways of measuring how late a train appears to be. Government figures for the last two years show that the worst-performing company, CrossCountry Trains, saw 89% of its trains arrive on time. Its long-distance services are only recorded as late if they arrive more than ten minutes after the scheduled time. But using Department for Transport data - recording trains that arrive more than one minute later than scheduled - only 42% of their trains arrived on time. Tony Miles from Modern Railway Magazine explains when a late train is really late.


External links

When is a late train really late?
File photo from January 2008 of railway train outside Clapham Junction train station

BBC News

Tony Miles from Modern Railway Magazine explains how train companies decide when a train is late and why some trains cannot run on time.

Related images

Finally, running about 2 hours late, the Edinburgh portion of a combined Edinburgh and Glasgow train to Inverness arrives at Perth on 3 January 1989.
Location: Perth
Company: Scottish Central Railway
03/01/1989 Ewan Crawford
Where am I?... What day is this?... Who are all these people?
A confused passenger peers out of the window of the late running Euston - Inverness sleeper (1130 as opposed to 0741) at Aviemore station on 24 September 2004.
Location: Aviemore
Company: Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
24/09/2004 John Furnevel
The East Coast 07.52 Aberdeen-London Kings Cross HST service, led by 43251, running through a snowy landscape near Dalgety Bay on 5 January 2010. The train was running approximately 40 minutes late at this point.
Location: Dalgety Bay
Company: Aberdour Line (North British Railway)
05/01/2010 Bill Roberton