Why are trains late?
Tom Edwards, BBC transport correspondent, goes beyond 'the wrong kind of snow' to uncover the complex reasons for rail delays and cancellations.
You hear the sighs of despair along the platform, then the phone calls from commuters as apologies are made, and meetings cancelled. But why are trains late? And what is being done to mitigate the delays? There can be many reasons why your train is late. And in the complex world of delays, the very definition of ‘lateness’ is not constant. A local train is late if it's delayed for longer than five minutes, while that's 10 minutes for intercity services. And if you’re stuck on the platform waiting, there's every chance the hold-up has been caused by another delay elsewhere: reducing the primary problem is crucial.
In the UK, the top three causes of delays make for interesting reading. Most delays (39 per cent) are caused by non-track failures, such as signalling faults or overhead line problems. Recently, overhead wires have come down on the East Coast and West Coast mainlines, resulting in massive delays. However, 29 per cent of delays are attributable to ‘network management issues’ such as overrunning engineering works. And 21 per cent of delays are due to ‘external factors’ – events such as trespass and cable theft – while just four per cent of delays are caused by severe weather...
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Ethosis aimed at public sector leaders, politicians, academics and policy specialists debating the future of public services today.
