Merseyrail boasts record month

The local train network operator said passengers benefited from record performance for fleet reliability, and train cleanliness last month.

The public performance measure (PPM) for the four-week period to 26 April was 97.37%, which Merseyrail said was its highest score for two years. PPM is the industry-wide benchmark that takes into account arrival times at final destinations, cancellations and stopping at all designated stops. Scores are published every four weeks.

This was the fourth consecutive four-weekly period with a PPM score of 96% or more. Merseyrail said it was the highest score it had had at this time of year.

Merseyrail also claimed a new level of fleet reliability, with a record 22,500 miles between major incidents, up 6,500 miles on the previous score. Similarly, figures for the cleanliness of trains continued to rise over the last 21 months.

Maarten Spaargaren, managing director of Merseyrail, said: "These are great results, and we will keep working hard to do even better. While we are constantly researching new ways to improve performance across the board, the strong partnerships and effective working relations with both concession-holder, Merseytravel, as well as Network Rail, remain critical to our success."