Greater Anglia claims top spot for UK train punctuality for sixth consecutive quarter

The big picture: The train operator says it has delivered the highest national punctuality results for six consecutive quarters since April 2023, with an average of 94.7% of trains running on time in the most recent four-week period to 9 November.

Why it matters: The figures suggest significant improvements in reliability for Ipswich rail users, with the company historically averaging between 87% and 91% annually:

• Services between Ipswich and Felixstowe are running at 95.4% punctuality

• London to Norwich intercity services, stopping at Ipswich, are achieving 94% reliability

• Great Eastern services through Essex and Suffolk, including Ipswich, Colchester and Chelmsford, are reaching 96% reliability

• The operator's annual average for cancelled services stands at 1.7%

Between the lines: The company uses several different measures to track punctuality:

• Public Performance Measure (PPM) - measuring arrival times at destination stations for each service

• "Time to 3" - trains arriving within 3 minutes at every station they serve

• "On time" performance - trains arriving exactly when scheduled

By the numbers:

• 94.7% - current network-wide punctuality

• 94.3% - moving annual average PPM figure

• Seven routes achieving more than 95% reliability

• Traditional annual performance: 87-91%

What they're saying: "We are very pleased to be delivering consistently high levels of punctuality for our customers and stakeholders across East Anglia," says Martin Beable, Managing Director, Greater Anglia.

The bottom line: While the figures show promising improvements in service reliability, they represent Greater Anglia's own performance measures. Independent verification of the "most punctual operator" claim was not provided in the release.