The state-backed rail operator has this year cut delays on its services by 16% and has beaten the Office of Rail Regulation's target of 82.8% of trains arriving within five minutes of their due time.

There are still fewer trains arriving on time than before the Hatfield rail crash in 2000, but Network Rail says it expects to return to pre-Hatfield levels by the end of the summer.

Have you noticed improvements to the punctuality of your regular train service, or are delays still causing you problems?

This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

The only thing that have increased are the price of tickets Tony Enticknap, Bordon, UK

Trains aren't any better at all. The only thing that have increased are the price of tickets and the amount of guards at stations checking these tickets. When I arrive at Fratton I'm often greeted by about four or five of them. Thanks to privatisation, the maximising of profits is the only thing that these companies are concerned with.
Tony Enticknap, Bordon, UK

Even with the new slacker timetables, and the judicious discarding of "unrepresentative" data, nearly one fifth of all trains arrive more than 5 minutes late (some of them cancelled or several hours late). How much of a victory is that?
Philippe, London, UK

I commute on Mersey rail - reliability and punctuality have certainly improved over the last two or three years. Move out of congested, polluted London, suckers! There again, why do people moan and groan about their train being 5 or 10 minutes late - does this really matter? Get a life!
Peter, Wirral

Domestic flights might be cheap but what are they costing the environment Helen, Paris, France

Obviously there's still a long way to go but I think the service in the UK is not too bad. I've just moved to France where the train service is heralded as being amazing but there are nowhere near as many trains to out-of-the-way places, the tickets are expensive and often sold out and advertised "connecting services" come with a scheduled 3 hour wait. Virgin has improved no end in the last couple of years - 30 mins has been cut from my journey from London to Chester. I try to get the train when possible - domestic flights might be cheap but what are they costing the environment?
Helen, Paris, France

The operators can make the trains be as punctual as they like - they're still far too expensive for me to travel any distance, so I'll stick to my car for the time being.
Peter, Bristol

I am glad to see the railways improving after many years of decline. However, I firmly believe that efficiency would be far stronger if public ownership of railways was made possible as profit would no longer be the main concern!
Alistair, Glasgow, U.K.

The whole thing is one big farce Neil Pearce, London, England

The statistics are utterly misleading. National Rail are allowed to disregard all journeys made on Sundays (when they're at their busiest) as well as any particularly bad "void" days. Combine this with manipulation of the timetables by stretching out journey times and the whole thing is one big farce.
Neil Pearce, London, England

Personally I don't care. Since South-West trains added 25 minutes onto my nightly journey from Guildford to Farnham I've bought a second car. Door to door service, warm, clean, no kids with feet on the seats and no-one making phone calls in the mobile free compartment. Don't know why I struggled on do long.
Colin Shepherd, Farnham, Surrey

Well done on the improvement. Now could you perhaps work on me having a chance of a seat for my journey?
Dan, UK

Now make them restore the time tables from 100 years ago! 93.85% of all statistics are bogus.
Colin Harrison, London England

The 'quick' train between Derby and London (only stopping at Leicester) used to be scheduled to take 1 hour 35 minutes. The timetable now has this journey at 1 hour 45 minutes. I wonder why Midland Mainline are now claiming an increased punctuality rate? Any set of figures can look good if you move the goalposts to suit your own needs.
Jon Smith, Belper, Derbys.

I've given up on the train completely for any journey as far as Manchester or further north James Wilson-Fish, London

I use the train a lot for business around London as it takes so long to drive out and I can't say I've noticed an improvement. I can say though, that I've given up on the train completely for any journey as far as Manchester or further north. The plane is quicker, more reliable and, amazingly, always cheaper (I've yet to meet anyone who has ever managed to buy tickets at the cheaper advertised price). Even visiting my parents in the Lake District it works out better to fly into Blackpool and take a local train rather than risk the intercity from Euston.
James Wilson-Fish, London

Since the New Year, and the increase in prices, I have experienced a marked increase in delays and cancelled trains between Cardiff and Temple Meads. If there were a regular bus service between these two cities I would sooner use that than the train.
Jennifer, Bristol, UK

Not where I live they haven't! Since FGW took over the franchise to run our service in December, the service has fallen apart with cancellations, delays and passenger revolt at Oxford station. Nice to see the profits keep coming in for them though.
Katie, Charlbury, UK

I get the 0809 which is supposed to arrive at 0839, I don't remember the last time it arrived at Waterloo on time. Oh maybe once - when even the guard was gob-smacked with the announcement 'for once we've made it in on time'. I don't think the new timetable has made much difference at all.
Gemma, Woking

I've never caught a train that has been more than thirty seconds late, either departing or arriving. This was in Japan of course.
Scott, Oxford, UK

Glasgow to East Kilbride service 1742 daily service is lucky if it leaves less than 5 minutes late. But the managers say that the service is "excellent".
Neil Small, Scotland

I have commuted to London for the past three years and my experience is that punctuality is improving. For the past year or so 19/20 days the train arrives on time no problem. As for reduction in service, I've not noticed any changes. In any case, I'd rather have a realistic and punctual service than a stuffed timetable which is never kept to.
Lewis Graham, Stevenage, UK

Public transport remains a national joke, a national disgrace indeed, and it has got worse not better Tom Yates, London/Brighton, UK

Timetables have become less ambitious, allowing trains more time, and hence more chance of hitting punctuality targets. This is not progress. Trains should get faster not slower as more is invested in the railways. 83% punctuality is a feeble target anyway. All trains should run on time. The target should be 100%. And not within five minutes, but on time. I think this is the area of public service where the government has clearly failed. The education and health services have improved as a result of increased spending. Public transport remains a national joke, a national disgrace indeed, and it has got worse not better.
Tom Yates, London/Brighton, UK

One Great Eastern has slashed the number of trains and lengthened the journey time so they can claim that services are improving. I guess if fewer trains with less carriages and more overcrowding is an improvement then things are getting better.
Keith, UK

I must be incredibly unlucky then, as every train I have taken so far this year has proved to be more than 5 minutes either late departing or arriving at the destination. The bus service isn't much better. How can the government expect to reduce road traffic when the alternative transport systems are just plain rubbish?
Richard Price, Chippenham, UK

Recent statistics showed that Thameslink services have improved in recent months. What should have been made clear is that they are running a much lower level of service of two much shorter networks instead of one large network from north to south. This is due to the Channel Tunnel Rail work at Kings Cross. It will be interesting for everyone to see them return to the old level of exceedingly poor punctuality once a full service resumes in May!
Nick, London, UK

Network Rail does not run passenger trains, the Train Operating Companies (TOCs) do. Therefore they cannot claim to have improved punctuality directly, but they may have provided infrastructure to permit fewer trains to be delayed. This is another example of the fragmented nature of the rail operation today. More and more trains will arrive at their destinations "not late" as long as timetables continue to be made slacker and slacker, with trains regularly leaving stations early to improve their chances of not arriving at their destinations late. Of course, maintaining connections is far more valuable than arriving early to the average passenger, but this is sacrificed to allow the TOCs to avoid spurious penalties! More spin and hype, I'm afraid, to disguise the underlying fact that targets are set which benefit the TOCs rather than the passengers.
Ian Docwra, London, England

The problem is that there are never enough seats on the trains Will, Britain

Punctuality is not the problem. The problem is that there are never enough seats on the trains, annoyingly at the times when there are the most passengers. Paying �20 to stand up for three hours is not an enjoyable experience!
Will, Britain

Who knows, one day it might be as good as it was before it was privatised. However, while the rail "service" is being run for the benefit of shareholders, this seems very unlikely.
James Brooks, Hyde, UK

Anyone who uses London commuter services or Virgin Cross country knows punctuality is as bad as ever, if not worse. And all users of Sheffield station will have sat for ten minutes in stationary trains a hundred yards out of the platform at Sheffield just so someone can claim departures were on time too. I can't believe anyone believes these figures. Clearly Network Rail has the same PR people who serve Blair. Punctuality is up; estate agents and lawyers are especially honest and dedicated to the service of their clients for a fair price; all doctors have stopped smoking and drinking as an example to us all; and pigs might fly. There is a good point, though: at least some companies have lost their franchises through poor service, whereas in the days of BR there was no way any pressure could be put on the operator to improve. But if we let rubbish like "punctuality is up" go we won't be able to get rid of the poor companies.
Steve, Sheffield, UK

Trains are not improving generally, however the stats will show that punctuality has improved, especially with so many train routes replaced with buses.
Ade, Chelmsford, UK

I believe it is improving. My train in the morning used to be cancelled fairly regularly, but I can only remember one such incidence in the past 12 months or so. Similar picture in the evening. Also the trains are newer so it is good to be able to comment on something positively for a change.
Dave, Croydon

Renationalise the lot, take the money away from shareholders and pump it all back into the network Vish, UK

In a word no! They are still far below the levels pre Potters Bar and nowhere near the levels they were when British Rail ran the shop. Renationalise the lot, take the money away from shareholders and pump it all back into the network. Infrastructure should never have been privatised! We have seen today that Londoners have been ripped off by �1 billion because of privatised Tube contacts. The public sector always has been better!
Vish, UK

No - the timetables have changed. I now have fewer trains which are timetabled to take longer; and every evening they take 60 minutes whereas last year I could get a train that took 46 minutes.
James, Coggeshall

If I miss a train these days it's because the wretched thing is on time! I ask you, how devious can these train operators get?
John, London UK

I use a train everyday to get back a fourth to work and 90% of the time in the morning it is on time but getting home is a different story. For the last 2 weeks I've had to catch a bus due to maintenance but even when the trains are running only about 50% of them are on time and prices continue to go up. Where is this extra money being spent?
Richard, S Wales