Northern Rail Record Performance

[northernchris]

Seeing all the anti-Northern posts on the forum, thought I'd post this about Northern Rail recording their highest ever PPM at 95.26%. Given the age of their fleet, how intensively it is used and the complexity of their network it really does seem to be a good achievement for Northern and Network Rail

http://www.northernrail.org/news/7459

Northern Celebrates Best Ever Performance

28th April 2014
Northern Rail has just announced its latest performance figures for April, showing this month was the train operator’s best ever month since the start of its franchise in 2004. This period, 95.26% of services departed and arrived on time in line with the industry’s Performance and Punctuality Measure (PPM).


Northern, a Serco and Abellio joint venture, has consistently driven and improved levels of performance and punctuality since the start of its franchise ten years ago.


Alex Hynes, Managing Director of Northern Rail, comments: “What a result to celebrate. It’s a franchise best for us and a direct outcome of the incredibly dedicated teams which operate across our entire network. They have come together to achieve one goal – improving our customers’ journey, something we know performance plays a big part in. We face many challenges every day on the railway and it’s our partnership approach with Network Rail and other operators and partners that ensures the smooth running of services.”

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Seeing all the anti-Northern posts on the forum, thought I'd post this about Northern Rail recording their highest ever PPM at 95.26%. Given the age of their fleet, how intensively it is used and the complexity of their network it really does seem to be a good achievement for Northern and Network Rail

http://www.northernrail.org/news/7459

And well done for all - and ATW have recorded similar excellent results (in the past) with a big 14x fleet and a tight timetable - boring , attention to detail and a lot of staff doing the job at all sorts of antisocial hours...

 

[Moonshot]

I m proud to be actually a small part of the achievement.....and indeed today was an example of how the guys in the background work with the likes of me on the frontline after we have had 2 PHBTs in the region today.

 

[DarloRich]

boring , attention to detail and a lot of staff doing the job at all sorts of antisocial hours...

.....Is what makes the railways run! Good work by Northern and their staff

 

[YorkshireBear]

They still only got abuse when it was put up on Twitter...

 

[Old Hill Bank]

95% PPM!!! If only we could have that on our patch.
The full detail can be viewed on the link below:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/about/performance/

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Considering that Northern Rail are entrusted to do the very best that they can with "Newton Heath's Finest" as a large part of their fleet, I would say that this news is nothing short of being a truly amazing performance. Congratulations to all concerned who made this possible.

 

[northwichcat]

95% PPM!!! If only we could have that on our patch.
The full detail can be viewed on the link below:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/about/performance/

95% is only an average figure. The longer services perform more badly - the Mid-Cheshire line is recording figures of around 75% (the lowest it's been since 2004), the fact that Northern have a number of short services like Rose Hill Marple and Alderley Edge turnbacks probably balances out the poor performance on the longer routes.

With Northern also operating a number of 4 car formations at peak times consisting of Pacers and Sprinters it also makes it easy for them to short form a service when a unit fails, opposed to canceling it. When they start replacing 4 car 150s with 4 car 319s that flexibility will go so the 319s will need to have a much lower failure rate (even allowing for OHE problems on top of unit failures.)

Surprised they're claiming April is their best ever month when it's not finished yet.

 

[swt_passenger]

Surprised they're claiming April is their best ever month when it's not finished yet.

They (Network Rail) use 13 x 28 day reporting periods, so the one just completed ran from 1st to 28th of April...

 

[northwichcat]

They (Network Rail) use 13 x 28 day reporting periods, so the one just completed ran from 1st to 28th of April...

Must be 12 x 28 and 1 x 27 in non-leap years for Northern given they don't operate any services on 25 and 26th Dec.

 

[Emyr]

They have excellent performance on those days.

 

[northernchris]

95% is only an average figure. The longer services perform more badly - the Mid-Cheshire line is recording figures of around 75% (the lowest it's been since 2004), the fact that Northern have a number of short services like Rose Hill Marple and Alderley Edge turnbacks probably balances out the poor performance on the longer routes.

With Northern also operating a number of 4 car formations at peak times consisting of Pacers and Sprinters it also makes it easy for them to short form a service when a unit fails, opposed to canceling it. When they start replacing 4 car 150s with 4 car 319s that flexibility will go so the 319s will need to have a much lower failure rate (even allowing for OHE problems on top of unit failures.)

Surprised they're claiming April is their best ever month when it's not finished yet.

Obviously it is only an average figure, and given the network they operate on there will be routes which consistently fair well (such as Wakefield - Knottingley) and routes which fair poor, such as Southport - Manchester Airport.

With regards short forming, it can lead to PPM failures as station dwell times increase. It would be interesting to see the amount of trains which were short formed during the period (across the entire network) compared to an average month, as I suspect short forming has a direct impact on PPM

 

[Suraggu]

Aye Northern Rail are doing extremely well in the North East considering the age of the fleet and the intense work load. Congrats to Heaton as well.
I have noticed less Northern Rail cancellations and late running on our patch and increasing passenger numbers so these are all good signs even with those 142's.

 

[fowler9]

Well done to Northern Rail. They do have what can be a ramshackle fleet but in my opinion they do a good job with it. The staff I deal with on a regular basis do an excellent job and I am rarely let down in anything more than a minor way. I don't like a lot of the rolling stock but that is hardly their fault.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Congratulations Northern and the staff that made it happen! Here's hoping Newton Heath's finest keep behaving.

 

[Moonshot]

Obviously it is only an average figure, and given the network they operate on there will be routes which consistently fair well (such as Wakefield - Knottingley) and routes which fair poor, such as Southport - Manchester Airport.

With regards short forming, it can lead to PPM failures as station dwell times increase. It would be interesting to see the amount of trains which were short formed during the period (across the entire network) compared to an average month, as I suspect short forming has a direct impact on PPM

Spot on......I actually work the Southport run regular......not the easiest to maintain punctuality and in fact I can think of at least 3 instances in the last month where a level crossing issue has impacted. Some of the loadings as well have been excessive to say the least.....!!

Northern also have a small number of project teams which are zeroing in on certain routes - I m actually part of one of them on the frontline so to speak...

 

[northwichcat]

With regards short forming, it can lead to PPM failures as station dwell times increase. It would be interesting to see the amount of trains which were short formed during the period (across the entire network) compared to an average month, as I suspect short forming has a direct impact on PPM

Which can vary between lines. With the Buxton line there aren't a lot of intermediate stations where a significant number of people both board and alight, while on the Southport and Mid-Cheshire line you get stations where a significant number can be waiting to board but they have to wait for a significant number to alight first.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Some more detailed figures for lines in the Manchester area are available here: http://www.transportforgreatermanch...l_rail_service_performance_and_station_issues (Appendix C.)

Preston-Hazel Grove and Southport-Manchester Airport are flagged as having under 85% of services on time both in the latest reporting period and in the annual average. The Hope Valley line is flagged as having under 85% of services on time in the latest reporting period. 13 Northern routes (out of 23) have annual averages under 90% while only 6 have averages under 90% in the latest reporting period but a lot are only just above 90% e.g. 90.1% on Blackpool-Victoria services and 90.3% on Mid-Cheshire services.

 

[Beveridges]

It musf be said I have played a large part of this achievement... the services are only as good as the maintenence depot that they are based at.

 

[Moonshot]

Which can vary between lines. With the Buxton line there aren't a lot of intermediate stations where a significant number of people both board and alight, while on the Southport and Mid-Cheshire line you get stations where a significant number can be waiting to board but they have to wait for a significant number to alight first.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Some more detailed figures for lines in the Manchester area are available here: http://www.transportforgreatermanch...l_rail_service_performance_and_station_issues (Appendix C.)

Preston-Hazel Grove and Southport-Manchester Airport are flagged as having under 85% of services on time both in the latest reporting period and in the annual average. The Hope Valley line is flagged as having under 85% of services on time in the latest reporting period. 13 Northern routes (out of 23) have annual averages under 90% while only 6 have averages under 90% in the latest reporting period but a lot are only just above 90% e.g. 90.1% on Blackpool-Victoria services and 90.3% on Mid-Cheshire services.

So what......as pointed out in the opening post, Northern Rail have just posted a record overall figure. Northern Rail are also carrying record amounts of passengers. Its is also a credit to the various teams of maintainance fitters dotted about the region that fleet availabilty is very high despite the age of the units. No matter which way you look at the picture, rail in the north is an outstanding success - complemented by the excellent Manchester Metrolink system whic also carries huge numbers.

 

[northernchris]

Which can vary between lines. With the Buxton line there aren't a lot of intermediate stations where a significant number of people both board and alight, while on the Southport and Mid-Cheshire line you get stations where a significant number can be waiting to board but they have to wait for a significant number to alight first.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Some more detailed figures for lines in the Manchester area are available here: http://www.transportforgreatermanch...l_rail_service_performance_and_station_issues (Appendix C.)

Preston-Hazel Grove and Southport-Manchester Airport are flagged as having under 85% of services on time both in the latest reporting period and in the annual average. The Hope Valley line is flagged as having under 85% of services on time in the latest reporting period. 13 Northern routes (out of 23) have annual averages under 90% while only 6 have averages under 90% in the latest reporting period but a lot are only just above 90% e.g. 90.1% on Blackpool-Victoria services and 90.3% on Mid-Cheshire services.

It will be interesting to view the latest set of figures once released to see how many routes achieved at least 90% PPM. For the previous period, which covered 2nd-31st March, the West & North Yorkshire PPM was 95.2% with an annual average of 92.9%.

One thing worth noting about PPM though is a train which terminates 6 minutes late is treated the same as one which is cancelled throughout, yet the inconvenience caused to passengers can vary greatly

 

[tbtc]

Northern's collection of 1980s trains getting better statistics than Virgin/TPE with their modern fleets? Surely this is a cause for some celebration on here from some, rather than the usual criticism of Northern?

I m proud to be actually a small part of the achievement.....

Spot on......I actually work the Southport run regular......

It musf be said I have played a large part of this achievement... the services are only as good as the maintenence depot that they are based at.

Hats off

95% is only an average figure

Well, yes, what else could it be? There are obviously going to be some higher/lower statistics, just as any TOC sees some lines more reliable than others.

the Mid-Cheshire line is recording figures of around 75%

13 Northern routes (out of 23) have annual averages under 90% while only 6 have averages under 90% in the latest reporting period but a lot are only just above 90% e.g. 90.1% on Blackpool-Victoria services and 90.3% on Mid-Cheshire services

It's an average, so whilst there are some lines only just above 90%, there are a number that are just under 90% (89.4% on the Southports, 89.8% on the Manchester Victoria - Huddersfield).

Important to add that the majority of lines are seeing improving statistics (frustrating that the Hope Valley ones are going backwards, but that's always very hard to schedule, given the limited slots between the TPE/EMT "fasts" east of Chinley).

And, surely good news about the mid-Cheshire line if its gone up from 75% to over 90%?

So what......as pointed out in the opening post, Northern Rail have just posted a record overall figure. Northern Rail are also carrying record amounts of passengers. Its is also a credit to the various teams of maintainance fitters dotted about the region that fleet availabilty is very high despite the age of the units. No matter which way you look at the picture, rail in the north is an outstanding success - complemented by the excellent Manchester Metrolink system whic also carries huge numbers.

Agreed - there's a lot of reasons to be positive - but threads about Northern (and rail in the "North" generally) tend to descend into arguments about Merseyrail Pacers/ cattle trucks/ nodding donkeys etc - I imagine that a lot of rail enthusiasts from outside the region think we are stuck in the dark ages when you read the criticism that local trains get, yet there's a number of things going in the right direction.

One thing worth noting about PPM though is a train which terminates 6 minutes late is treated the same as one which is cancelled throughout, yet the inconvenience caused to passengers can vary greatly

Good point Chris - one big problem when using statistics like this - similarly you could argue that a six minute delay on the service arriving in Manchester/Leeds at half past eight in the morning is more significant than a six minute delay on the service arriving in Manchester/Leeds at half past eight in the evening (due to the numbers of passengers on board), but I think that its important to have some kind of benchmark and collect some figures (however easy they may be to distort/ manipulate).

 

[northwichcat]

Well, yes, what else could it be? There are obviously going to be some higher/lower statistics, just as any TOC sees some lines more reliable than others.

Old Hill Bank was asking for that of performance of that level in his area but his area of the LM franchise (Kidderminister) records performance around 90% PPM. The Northern Rail average is brought up by the high reliability of the short electric services like Alderley Edge-Manchester. The Liverpool-Birmingham and Crewe-Euston services bring down the average LM PPM significantly. So his area of the LM franchise isn't inconsistent with diesel lines in the Northern franchise.

And, surely good news about the mid-Cheshire line if its gone up from 75% to over 90%?

I didn't explain that clearly at the time. 75% wasn't the average figure for all services for a period but the average figure that certain services were recording e.g. 09:17 Manchester-Chester and 16:17 Manchester-Chester were recording 75% PPM, some have been even lower than that e.g. the 06:58 Chester-Manchester recording an average figure of 65% PPM. To passengers who use those services every day saying the average figure for the Northern franchise is 20-30% higher isn't of any consolation.

Northern's collection of 1980s trains getting better statistics than Virgin/TPE with their modern fleets?

I think most of Virgin's delays are down to infrastructure problems while most of Northern's problems are down to train faults and staffing issues.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

So what......

Thank you for your unconstructive comment. I create a post giving further insight to Manchester area services and you say "so what?" Just because you don't care about individual line break downs doesn't mean no-one else does.

 

[Beveridges]

An average is the only way of measuring performance when comparing one TOC with another. Compared to other TOCs, Northern are very reliable. Train faults are rare in the Northern fleet. I spoke to a mainline driver who said hes not even had 1 delay-causing fault within the last year and a half.
As for individual train performance. You can look at individual train performance with some of Virgin trains services. The 22:xx Euston-Manchester is nearly always about an hour late.

 

[Moonshot]

Thank you for your unconstructive comment. I create a post giving further insight to Manchester area services and you say "so what?" Just because you don't care about individual line break downs doesn't mean no-one else does.[/QUOTE]


No ...you created a post so as to highlight any areas which Northern are not up to the average. Your dislike of Northern Rail ( and also Metrolink ) just taints your view of anything positive about the rail industry. But it hardly matters anyway what you think......the overall facts speak for themselves as I pointed out.

 

[northernchris]

I think most of Virgin's delays are down to infrastructure problems while most of Northern's problems are down to train faults and staffing issues.

I don't think that's necessarily true, as Northern are affected by numerous external issues too and are more likely to get held for late running express trains than Virgin / TPE.

 

[175001]

No ...you created a post so as to highlight any areas which Northern are not up to the average. Your dislike of Northern Rail ( and also Metrolink ) just taints your view of anything positive about the rail industry. But it hardly matters anyway what you think......the overall facts speak for themselves as I pointed out.

Agreed.

 

[1D53]

I think most of Virgin's delays are down to infrastructure problems while most of Northern's problems are down to train faults and staffing issues.

You think, but you are wrong.

 

[175001]

You think, but you are wrong.

Exactly. Thinking and knowing are two different things!

 

[Chapeltom]

I'm glad other posters have finally woken up and noticed the continuous and predictable moaning by one particular poster about Northern. I know when just browsing the forum if I see a post about the Mid-Cheshire Line it will usually be followed by a moan.

The figures are superb by the way. I rarely get delayed by more than 4-5 minutes into a terminal station, so it's unsurprising if anything. Excellent with such an elderly fleet.

 

[tbtc]

The Northern Rail average is brought up by the high reliability of the short electric services like Alderley Edge-Manchester. The Liverpool-Birmingham and Crewe-Euston services bring down the average LM PPM significantly. So his area of the LM franchise isn't inconsistent with diesel lines in the Northern franchise

The most reliable route on the link you sent is the Pacer run Liverpool - Wigan line (with the Pacer run Wigan - Rochdale line high up the list too), so its not just the EMU lines that are skewing the figures.

Northern also run long diesel services - witness the number of times I see people quoting the fact that you can potentially travel long distances on Northern Pacers.

LM run some short EMU services (New Street to Walsall, New Street to Birmingham International) - as well as the frequent Stourbridge shuttle that should improve their stats.

I didn't explain that clearly at the time. 75% wasn't the average figure for all services for a period but the average figure that certain services were recording e.g. 09:17 Manchester-Chester and 16:17 Manchester-Chester were recording 75% PPM, some have been even lower than that e.g. the 06:58 Chester-Manchester recording an average figure of 65% PPM

Yes, the average figure quoted is just an average. But people react to the average differently. Your reaction seems to be:

• to quote a 75% PPM on your local line, which is clearly not the average figure
• to point out that there are some statistics worse than the average (which obviously there would be, just as there are a number of lines better than the average)
• to point out that there some of the "better than average" statistics are only marginally better (unsurprising - there are a number of "below average" lines that are only marginally below)
• to point out that there are some services on a line with worse figures than the average for that line - would be amazing if every service on a line had the same reliability figures

...essentially, there's no such thing as "good news" when it comes to your opinion about Northern - every silver lining has a cloud to you.

I think most of Virgin's delays are down to infrastructure problems while most of Northern's problems are down to train faults and staffing issues

You have pointed out a few times that Virgin get priority (over Northern) when it comes to paths over that infrastructure, e.g. Stockport viaduct, so I don't know why problems there would harm Virgin more than Northern?

Also, you've not addressed the fact that Northern have better figures than TPE, when Northern run on the majority of the tracks that TPE use (yet TPE seem to have much better stock, so should be more reliable).

What you appear to be saying is that when Northern are late then its Northern's fault, but when other TOCs are late then its for reasons out-with their control (Network Rail infrastructure). Northern can't win here, can they?