One out of every five trains arrives late at its destination and passenger complaints are soaring, according to figures released on Thursday.

Statistics published by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) show train punctuality has worsened since the previous quarter.

Twenty per cent of trains were late, compared to 17% for the previous quarter but an improvement on the 21% of trains that were late between July and September last year.

In the SRA's performance report for July to September just three of the 25 passenger train companies - Arriva Trains Merseyside, South West Trains and West Anglia Great Northern - performed better than in the previous quarter.

Network delays

Virgin Cross Country - 33% Virgin West Coast - 32% GNER - 28% First Great Eastern - 11% Arriva Trains Merseyside - 6%

Complaints rose by 23%.

Virgin Cross Country had the most delays with one out of every three of its trains arriving late - a 1.5% rise.

But Virgin West Coast had the biggest increase, 8.9%, with 32% delayed.

One out of every four GNER trains was late.

The country's best performers were commuter network First Great Eastern with only 11% of its trains delayed, Arriva Trains Merseyside with just 6% and the Isle of Wight's Island Line with a mere 4.4%.

Satisfaction levels remained unchanged at 73%

Connex South Eastern will receive �58m

They were lowest among Connex South Eastern passengers - 65%.

While Island Line, 91%, Gatwick Express, 91%, and Chiltern Railways (89%) had the highest ratings and 43% of passengers considered their journeys good value for money - up 1% on autumn 2001.

Bad weather hindered services and some sections of the network are still delayed by track speed restrictions.

Delays have become a way of life for commuters

But rail chiefs admitted the results were disapppointing.

They are warning that the rail industry faces a "massive challenge", amid fears about the �60bn of government money pledged to improve its service to the travelling public and meet forecasts of a 50% growth in passengers during the next 10 years.

Alarm bells are ringing after a four-fold increase in the cost of upgrading the West Coast main line between London and Glasgow to almost �10bn.

There is a real worry that if costs rise in a way which becomes uncontrolled, then projects will become unaffordable

That has raised fears that future modernisations of the East Coast line between London and Edinburgh, and the Great Western route between London, South Wales and south-west England may have to be scaled back or postponed.

The West Coast line has proven a bleeding artery

The government ordered the SRA to take charge of developing major rail schemes following the final removal of Railtrack in October.

But on Wednesday the SRA announced it was bailing out Connex South Eastern, which runs services between London and Kent and Sussex as well as throughout Europe.

The French-owned private rail operator will receive �58m of public money to cover what are said to be enormous losses.