Northern Rail announces best ever rail performance for Whitby line

Northern Rail has just announced its latest performance figures for January, showing last month was the train operator's best ever month for the Whitby - Middlesbrough line, since the start of the franchise, with 99.5% of services departing and arriving on time in line with the rail industry's Public Performance Measure (PPM).

Northern, a Serco and Abellio joint venture, has worked in partnership with Network Rail on this route in particular to reduce speed restrictions, ensure staff are in the right place at the right time and keep the infrastructure as reliable as possible.

Alex Hynes, Managing Director of Northern Rail, comments: "This is a fantastic result for us and most importantly for our customers who travel between Whitby and Middlesbrough. To achieve an almost perfect score is something to be proud of, not least during the traditionally challenging winter months. I would like to thank our dedicated team for improving our customers' journeys - something we know performance plays a crucial role in - and salute the successful partnership with Network Rail in achieving this."

Northern also measures the number of trains that arrive and depart exactly on time, known as Right Time measurement. The Whitby - Middlesbrough route achieved 94.7% of services arriving and departing exactly on time for the January period.

Mark Tarry, Network Rail Area Director, comments: "This achievement goes to show what can be done when the passengers are at the very heart of the railway operations. We will continue to work closely with Northern Rail to make sure that we continue to deliver the most reliable train service possible."

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