Posted 6th January 2011 | 1 Comment
Southeastern punctuality figures challenged
KENT MPs are challenging the most recent punctuality figures from Southeastern, because they have come in only just above the level at which compensation would be payable.
Southeastern is defending its statistics, saying they have been independently audited.
The operator has said that 82.04 per cent of its services were on time in 2010. Compensation of 5 per cent would have been payable to season ticket holders below 82 per cent.
One of the MPs, Greg Barker, whose constituency is Bexhill and Battle, has said that the figure ‘didn’t smell right’. Doubts have also been expressed by Tracey Crouch, the MP for Chatham and Aylesford.
She said she accepted that Southeastern's figures were the average, but was ‘surprised’ it had passed its target, pointing out that she had seen estimates that only 5 per cent of services ran on time during the recent bad weather.
Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark said he thought people would want ‘reassurance’ about the figures.
Now the MPs are calling for a recalculation, although Southeastern said its performance had been checked independently. In a statement, the company explained: ‘Punctuality and performance statistics are calculated using the standard industry methods, and the process is audited annually independently.’
The operator added that it runs emergency timetables only when it has been instructed to do so by Network Rail.
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Robbie R Craig, Romney Marsh, kent
if they have nothing to fear, they can release the data and the assumptions behind it. It is hard to see any commercial sensitivity with the Data as there is currently no competitor in the SE (althought the HST trains could be hived off). I use the HST line now and have noted that I rarely get updated about delays on this line - in spite of being on the train that is stick or delayed or witnessing the issue at STP - this makes me doubt the reporting of delays.
I hope this is not a 9 day wonder by the politicians so that they can tick the 'spoke up for locals' and that they see it through.
I started communting in 2002 and my fares have doubled since then - oddly my salary has not becuase inflation has been so low. My fares jumped 13pc this year my salary frozen for short term political gain. With the exception of the HST, which costs more anyway, journey times have got longer (in 2002 there was a train that took 60 mins to get to CHX) and reliability is lower.