A RAIL company’s exemplary punctuality statistics are suffering as the network struggles to cope with its controversial new timetable.

The latest figures from Network Rail show that, since the new timetable came into force last month, the number of c2c trains arriving on time has fallen by 13.7 per cent.

Trains can be delayed for several reasons, not all of them c2c’s fault, but the proportion of delays to c2c trains, between December 13 and January 9, caused by the company itself has also increased by 23 per cent.

Commuters have complained about overcrowding, late trains, shorter trains and more stops in east London since the timetable came into force last month.

Brian Lewis commutes from Pitsea to London Fenchurch Street five days a week, catching the 5.49pm service home every day.

After growing frustrated at the number of times he arrived after the 6.31pm scheduled time at Pitsea he contacted c2c and they confirmed his train had arrived late 80 per cent of the time between January 6 and 20.

He said: “Late 80 per cent of the time this working year. It’s just not good enough. It’s shocking.

“Personally, for my journey, there was no need to change the timetable and I’ve now got fewer options, and there are less carriages within those options, to get home than I did before.

“I can understand the stops at West Ham but the extra ones at Barking don’t seem to make any sense to me.

“I’m now having to get an earlier train in, a later train home and the journeys are taking longer too. Something needs to be done about it.”

c2c confirmed that the service has been late, on one occasion blaming a driver being delayed that had a knock on effect to Mr Lewis’ chosen train.

The company’s average annual punctuality figure, of 97.1 per cent, makes them the most reliable rail operator in the country, but since the new timetable has come in that figure has fallen by 2.5 per cent and their national ranking for that period is down to fourth.

Passengers continue to rally against the new timetable and have called for it to be reverted to the old schedule until the operator can source more carriages to provide increased capacity.

However, c2c say the delays are a case of the timetable bedding in, and they expect their punctuality figures to soon be on the rise.

A spokesman for the company said: "Considering the scale of change for all our customers and staff, the new timetable has had a good start from an operational perspective.

"Punctuality on most days is matching our performance under the old timetable, and only a combination of incidents on one day kept us from recording top spot last month.

"No-one has had a more punctual journey than c2c passengers over the past year, and we are determined to maintain that record from now on.

"That's why in the coming weeks we will start compensating registered season ticket holders if they are delayed for as little as two minutes."

HISTORY OF THE TIMETABLE

THE controversial new timetable was introduced on Sunday, December 13, and caused problems for commuters from its first Monday of use.

Carriages were full to bursting, passengers were left waiting on the platform, unable to force their way onto their chosen train, and c2c’s social media channels were bombarded with complaints.

The first draft of the timetable was initially publicised in December 2014 and a public consultation began early last year.

Of the operator’s 90,000 passengers, only 2,200 responded to the consultation and 88 per cent of those people disagreed with the plans.

The timetable underwent some minor alterations and came into force this winter, just before Christmas.

Part of the tender document, when c2c won the new long-term franchise to run the line in 2014, was a commitment to improving links with east London stations such as Barking, Limehouse and West Ham.

This dedication is what has most angered the long-distance commuters from south Essex, with more stops meaning slower trains and more people trying to get on board.

Commuters staged a protest at London Fenchurch Street last week to campaign for the old timetable to be brought back into use and MP for Southend West, Sir David Amess, has backed their campaign with the secretary of state for transport.

LATEST c2c STATS

Period 10 = Dec 13 – January 9

Punctuality (classed as punctual if a train reaches its final destination within five minutes of its scheduled time)

  • Period 10 ’15-'16 95.1 per cent (down 2.5 per cent from Period 10 the year before)
  • Moving annual average 97.1 per cent

Cancellations and significant lateness (cancelled, fails to make a stop at a scheduled station or is more than 30 minutes late at final destination)

  • Period 10 ’15-'16 1.8 per cent (up 0.4 per cent from Period 10 the year before)
  • Moving annual average - 1.1 per cent

Right-time performance (an unreliable measure of the percentage of trains arriving at their final destination either early or within 59 seconds of their scheduled time)

  • Period 10 ’15-'16 - 71.4 per cent (down 13.7 per cent on Period 10 the year before)
  • Moving annual average 83.3 per cent

Self-made delays (percentage of the delayed c2c trains that were late due to reasons of the rail operator’s own making)

  • Period 10 ’15-'16 - 68 per cent (23 per cent above their moving annual average)