Rail workers in East Anglia kept trains running well for those who needed them last month

Published on: Thursday, 11 June 2020
Last updated: Thursday, 11 June 2020

Staff at Greater Anglia kept trains running reliably for passengers across East Anglia during May, with 95.7% of services running on time.

The collective efforts of teams across the company, including drivers, conductors, station staff, cleaning teams, depot teams, fleet teams, control teams and back office teams, led to another period of high punctuality across the region, maintaining the positive trends of recent months.

Greater Anglia increased the number of trains in its revised timetable from 18 May to help maintain social distancing on board, and is now operating a Saturday-style service.

Jamie Burles, Managing Director, Greater Anglia said: “I’m very grateful to everyone at Greater Anglia for delivering another very good period of performance, for everyone who has needed to travel during these challenging times.

“Our staff are key workers too and continue to play a vital role, day in, day out, in helping the region deal with the pandemic.

“We remain committed to providing the best possible service for anyone who needs to travel by train.”

All routes saw very good performance with the individual route results for May.

The top five routes for punctuality were Norwich to Sheringham, at 98.7%, Marks Tey to Sudbury, 98.2%, Norwich to Lowestoft, 97.8%, Norwich to Great Yarmouth, 97.7%, and London to Chelmsford/Colchester/Clacton services at 97.4%.

Punctuality on all routes was over 90%, with Ipswich to Felixstowe at 97.3%, Norwich to Cambridge services, 97.2%, London to Southend 97.0%, Norwich – London Intercity services, 95.5%, Ipswich to Lowestoft 95.4%, Ipswich to Cambridge/Peterborough services, 95.1%, Stansted Express services at 92.4% and West Anglia services at 91.7%.

Punctuality figures have mostly been between 90% and 99% on routes across the network throughout the period while Greater Anglia has been running a revised service for key workers to get to work and back during lockdown.

Additional services were reintroduced from 18 May, with an enhanced Saturday service on most routes, as the operator works in partnership with Network Rail, Stadler, Siemens, the Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group to provide a reliable service for rail travellers in the East of England.

Greater Anglia will continue to monitor passenger numbers on a daily basis to ensure the revised timetable remains fit for purpose and, where appropriate and practical, adjust service capacity or frequency.

The latest Government advice is to avoid public transport to keep trains and stations safe for those who do need to travel. The Government has also announced that, from Monday 15 June, it will become mandatory for anyone travelling on public transport to wear a face covering.

Greater Anglia has taken a range of measures to help staff and customers to socially distance, including floor markings, signs, and one-way and queuing systems.

Customers are encouraged to buy their tickets online or via the Greater Anglia app or to use contactless payment at the station and to consider starting or finishing work earlier or later so journey times are staggered.

The company has stepped up cleaning of trains and stations, with particular attention to touch points, including push buttons, grab rails and door handles, and topping up of soap, water and toilet roll, to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Full details of the revised timetable, along with information about refunds and revised ticket office hours, are available on the Greater Anglia website.