There has been an improvement in the number of trains running on time during the summer months, according to latest figures.

Some 83% turned up on time between April and June this year - an increase of 2% over the preceding three months.

But the report by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) says train punctuality is still not as good as it was before the Hatfield crash.

Delivering for passengers and freight customers needs hard work and commitment from the whole industry

Nick Newton, SRA

And there was only a minor improvement in the time keeping of long distance train services.

Senior SRA executives say the massive increase in both the number of train services and the number of passengers has affected train time keeping.

The report found that although there was an improvement overall, nearly a quarter of long distance trains were late.

Severe disruption

During the period from April to June, 83% of trains ran on time, compared with 80.9% in the previous quarter.

But the figures are still well below the 89.8% figure achieved in July-September 2000, just before the Hatfield derailment which led to severe disruption nationwide.

SRA Report Highlights

London and South East operators improve punctuality from 81.1% to 83.1% Times for regional operators improved from 81.2% to 83.6% Long distance travel improved only slightly from 75.9% to 76.3% Best performing operator was Island Line, Isle of Wight with 96.7% on time Worst performing operator was Virgin Cross Country with 68.5% punctuality

The amount of freight being transported by rail saw a decrease - down by 5% compared to the previous quarter.

The SRA report said this reflected a fall in domestic demand for energy and construction products, plus to a lesser extent, problems at the Channel Tunnel.

Chief operating officer Nick Newton said: "Performance is better than at any time since Hatfield but the rate of improvement is slow.

"This is a reminder of the challenge the industry faces."

He said an increase in investment - in rolling stock in particular - in addition to a review of capacity would bring improvements.

"But delivering for passengers and freight customers needs hard work and commitment from the whole industry," he added.