Performance reaches highest ever levels

Official Public Performance Measure (PPM) statistics - the percentage of trains arriving within ten minutes of their scheduled time - showed 94 per cent of CrossCountry services on time in the four weeks to Saturday 17 October.

With an unprecedented eight consecutive periods of at least 90 per cent performance, the company's moving annual average is now up to 90.8 per cent - the highest ever level achieved by CrossCountry.

Since the start of its franchise in November 2007, CrossCountry has concentrated on delivering better performance for its customers. A new timetable introduced in December 2008 delivered faster journey times and improved frequencies across its diverse routes from Scotland to Cornwall and Wales to East Anglia. This, coupled with enhancements to its fleet of 91 trains to improve their reliability, has meant CrossCountry customers seeing the best ever service along Britain's most extensive rail franchise.

Commenting, CrossCountry's Production Director, Sarah Kendall, said: "We are delighted to see our customers benefiting from the efforts everyone at CrossCountry and our colleagues at Network Rail have made to improve train punctuality, coupled with improved reliability of our trains thanks to a closer working relationship with our maintenance providers. This is exactly what our customers tell us we should concentrate on."

Notes to editors

For more information please call the CrossCountry Press Office on 0121 2006115 or email [email protected]

CrossCountry started operating on 11 November 2007. The franchise, which is the most extensive in the UK, will run until 31 March 2016. For further information on CrossCountry services and future franchise plans log on to www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

Arriva is one of the largest private sector providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing more than 43,500 people (including share of associate companies) and providing more than one billion passenger journeys every year.

Arriva provides transport services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses, and operates in 12 European countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

CrossCountry facts and figures:

STATIONS SERVED: 118
ROUTE MILES: 1,654
WEEKDAY SERVICES: 293
PASSENGERS CARRIED: Over 30 million passenger journeys a year anticipated
ANNUAL TRAIN MILEAGE: Approximately 16 million
EMPLOYEES: Approximately 1,700
LONGEST TRAIN SERVICE: 08.20 Aberdeen to Penzance (774 miles)

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Contact Information

CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]

About CrossCountry

CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.

For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains