More trains are running on time now than at any time since punctuality records began, Network Rail said yesterday.

In contrast to anecdotal evidence from commuters left stranded on platforms across Britain, figures for the year ending in March showed that 90.6 per cent of trains ran on time.

It is the first time that annual train punctuality has risen above 90 per cent since statistics were first collected in 1992.

Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s operations director, said: “Passengers are today experiencing the most punctual train service ever provided on Britain’s railways.”

The improvements have come at a high price, however, with commuters paying twice as much as those in all other leading European countries to travel the same distance. Annual season tickets for journeys of between 11 and 25 miles cost an average of £1,860 in Britain, compared with £990 in France, £944 in Germany and £788 in Spain. Italy has the cheapest season tickets at £444.

Punctuality also falls far below services such as France’s TGV and Japan’s bullet train, both of which arrive on time more than 95 per cent of the time. “It’s a step in the right direction but a lot more needs to be done,” said Bruce Williamson, a spokesman for the action group Railfuture. “We continue to lag behind Europe in terms of both cost of tickets and punctuality because of the ongoing lack of investment in rail.”

Ashwin Kumar, director of Passenger Focus, the independent rail consumer watchdog, said: “Punctual trains are a top priority for passengers and the industry has done well to improve the number of trains which run on time. However, one in ten trains still runs with delays, which means there is still room for improvement.”

When Network Rail took over responsibility for rail infrastructure from Railtrack in 2002, punctuality was less than 79 per cent. It dipped sharply at the beginning of the decade when speed restrictions were brought in after the Hatfield rail crash in October 2000. The company cut costs successfully but has also benefited from increased government funding, with the proportion of rail costs funded by the taxpayer rising from 30 per cent in the second half of the 1990s to 40 to 50 per cent since 2000.

Network Rail consumed three times as much subsidy last year as British Rail did.

According to Network Rail, the best-performing company last year was the Southend operator c2c, with 95.3 per cent of trains arriving and departing on time. Chiltern and Merseyrail also reached 95 per cent.

Two companies — Virgin Trains and London Midland — recorded significantly worse punctuality figures after their networks suffered serious disruption from the £9 billion West Coast Main Line upgrade, which was completed in December. Only 80 per cent of Virgin trains were on time, down from 86.2 per cent last year. London Midland slipped from 88.9 per cent last year to 86.5 per cent in the latest results.

The biggest year-on-year improvement was made by First Great Western, whose punctuality rose from 83.1 per cent in 2007-08 to 90.5 per cent in 2008-09.

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