GWR Performance Figures

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

Stats for the last period attached.  The storms will have affected figures to a certain extent, but it's difficult to say how much.

[IndustryInsider]

Latest figures attached, covering March basically.

This was the first period affected by the Covid 19 alterations.  The first two weeks were the normal timetable with largely normal passenger numbers dipping slightly towards the end of the second week.  The third week was a normal timetable but with a very rapidly decreasing number of passengers.  The fourth and final week was the first week of the new temporary timetable with the trains virtually empty.

A general upswing in the figures, but given the alterations, it's not really worth trying to analyse performance too much, save to say that I expect next period to show some very good results - it's amazing how trains run to time when there aren't very many of them and no pesky passengers! 

[IndustryInsider]

We were expecting a leap upwards in the performance figures but I never thought I'd ever see a 100% score being recorded, which was the 'Reliability' score for the Devon sector!

All results are largely academic though as barely anyone was travelling to appreciate them, though as I touched on last month it is an interesting experiment to show how performance increases exponentially when there are fewer trains on the network that is usually creaking at the seams.

It's interesting when you consider that the number of services operating during the emergency timetable, is, on several GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) routes off-peak, the same as it was during the late 70s and early 80s, indeed sometimes more.  They include Paddington to South Wales, from Paddington to Bristol, Paddington to Oxford, Oxford to Didcot, Didcot to Reading, stoppers between Paddington and Reading, CrossCountry services between Reading and Birmingham and many others.  Not so many slow moving 45mph Class 7 freight trains to get in the way nowadays, but plenty of faster freight.

Perhaps it indicates what a good job the current operators and Network Rail do?  Perhaps it indicates that we are trying to run far too many trains on a crowded network?  It would be interesting to see if all the operators ran, say, the 1983 timetable for a day, what the punctuality figures would be.  Perhaps some rose-tinted spectacles would have to be taken off?

Anyway, the usual graphs are attached (all day, all station punctuality to be added).  There appears to be an error with the LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) sector MAA^▸ (Moving Annual Average) (Moving Annual Average) which dropped from 80.1% to 79.7% despite a 98.6% figure being recorded for the period.

UPDATE:  All day all station punctuality graph now added.  The 'on time' percentage was higher than the usual 'within 3 minutes' percentage.

[Sixty3Closure]

Any thoughts on how compensation will be worked out? These figures do distort the numbers a bit if you were relying on your normal 5 or 10% discount.

I bit the bullet in the end and applied for a refund but the 10% discount was a big factor in holding off as the numbers didn't quite add up.

[IndustryInsider]

It would be interesting to know if anyone kept their season ticket if they had an annual one?  Or whether any special measures will be introduced to reflect this unprecedented period of railway operators.

I’ll certainly be looking closely to see if any sectors rise above discount trigger levels as a result of the emergency timetable.

[TaplowGreen]

We were expecting a leap upwards in the performance figures but I never thought I'd ever see a 100% score being recorded, which was the 'Reliability' score for the Devon sector!


Perhaps it indicates what a good job the current operators and Network Rail do?  Perhaps it indicates that we are trying to run far too many trains on a crowded network?  It would be interesting to see if all the operators ran, say, the 1983 timetable for a day, what the punctuality figures would be.  Perhaps some rose-tinted spectacles would have to be taken off?

Surely we have moved on since 1983 in terms of infrastructure, technology, reliability, fewer strikes etc?

Perhaps if you could strip out all the delays due to staff shortages, failed trains, infrastructure failures etc it would be an interesting comparison?

I would imagine that with so many spare crew and trains sitting around doing nothing at the moment, it considerably mitigates most of the usual problems?

[grahame]

It would be interesting to know if anyone kept their season ticket if they had an annual one?  Or whether any special measures will be introduced to reflect this unprecedented period of railway operators.

I’ll certainly be looking closely to see if any sectors rise above discount trigger levels as a result of the emergency timetable.

Interesting to note from the SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) Stakeholder conference - but a lesson across the industry

a) DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have declined to change the season ticket refund algorithm though they were asked if they wanted too.  There was a school of though that suggested that season tickets should be refunded "pro rata" so (for example) an annual ticket turned in after six months should get a 50% refund, as the turning in was not really the choice of the purchaser.  However, the situation remains that a six month season period is calculated and the refund is the difference between that an the annual. Example:
Swindon -> London Terminals
12 months - £9272
6 months - £5340
Suggested refund (50% on 50% of year used) - £4636
Actual refund due - £3932

b) ppm figures are still being carefully logged (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) too) and there is muted celebration of how good they are - nothing to suggest that they won't be used in any future discount level calculations, even though based on a sub-franchise emergency measure service level.

[Sixty3Closure]

I find both 'A' and 'B' disappointing.

As someone who was initially expecting to be working as usual I faced a much reduced service. At the same time though if I didn't carry on travelling and 'cashed in' I was probably going to be several hundred pounds or more out of pocket.

To then use the much reduced service as a basis for Season ticket renewals seems a double whammy. I get a worse service and have to pay more next renewal.

[IndustryInsider]

We were expecting a leap upwards in the performance figures but I never thought I'd ever see a 100% score being recorded, which was the 'Reliability' score for the Devon sector!


Perhaps it indicates what a good job the current operators and Network Rail do?  Perhaps it indicates that we are trying to run far too many trains on a crowded network?  It would be interesting to see if all the operators ran, say, the 1983 timetable for a day, what the punctuality figures would be.  Perhaps some rose-tinted spectacles would have to be taken off?

Surely we have moved on since 1983 in terms of infrastructure, technology, reliability, fewer strikes etc?

Perhaps if you could strip out all the delays due to staff shortages, failed trains, infrastructure failures etc it would be an interesting comparison?

I would imagine that with so many spare crew and trains sitting around doing nothing at the moment, it considerably mitigates most of the usual problems?

Yes, I guess that’s largely the point I was making.

[GBM]

I did see one cancelled run earlier, but now gone; shortage of crews already.....really?

[IndustryInsider]

Graphs covering up to 30th May attached.  The last period covers two weeks of the initial emergency timetable, and two weeks of the expanded one we now have.

Again, figures were high but only of any real interest for historical reasons as precious few benefited from them.  The published LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) sector MAA^▸ (Moving Annual Average) for punctuality still looks to be wrong, and by my reckoning should have climbed to just over 81%.  At least some of the graphs are making a fairly pleasing shape of a dragon!

[IndustryInsider]

Graphs for the latest period attached.  Emergency timetable operating throughout.

The 'Wales to South Coast' sector MAA^▸ (Moving Annual Average) (Moving Annual Average) has climbed above the charter discount rate for punctuality.  Otherwise, nothing much to report.

[IndustryInsider]

Usual graphs attached.  Covid-19 emergency timetable running throughout.  Again not much to report, though a general uplift on last period. 

Had you been one of the few travelling on a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train over the last four months, chances are you'd have arrived at your destination early, with more than an 85% chance of you being on time. 

[IndustryInsider]

Graphs for the latest period, covering up to 22nd August, attached.

A noticeable drop off in performance with more passengers and trains now returning to the timetable.

[IndustryInsider]

This period included one week of the new timetable, with a significant number of trains returning.   There was a general uplift in performance following the slight dip last month, which is encouraging given the extra trains that were running, though interestingly this wasn't reflected so much in the all-day figures.

Usual graphs attached...