Stop skipping on services between Edinburgh and Glasgow: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/01755
Date received: 24 July 2017
Date responded: 22 August 2017

Information requested

My request relates to the number of times, since November 2016, that Scotrail have invoked the practice of "stop skipping" during rush hour in order for them to meet their performance targets. Specifically, I'd like to have the following details supplied, in electronic format if possible:

• The number of services between Edinburgh and Glasgow in this period

• The number of times stop skipping has been invoked as a policy

• The number of times trains to Linlithgow, Polmont and other intermediate stations have been cancelled, but the train still arrived at Glasgow Queen Street

• The performance target currently being achieved by Abellio

• The total number of cancellations or delays, broken down by their reasons for these delays or cancellations.

Response

1. The number of services between Edinburgh and Glasgow in this period

Performance is reported in the railway industry using four-weekly periods. Generally, about 3,220 trains are run in each four-weekly period between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen St along the E&G; on occasion additional trains are run (for special events such as the Festival), or some trains are not timetabled to run (because of work required on the track).

Transport Scotland has been tracking fail-to-stop data since 24th November 2016. Since that date, and to Saturday 22nd July (the end of the last full four-weekly period), some 27,600 trains will have been timetabled to run.

2. The number of times stop skipping has been invoked as a policy

Over this time (from 24th November 2016 to 22nd July, the date of your email), 102 trains on the E&G line were affected by skip-stopping. 20 were affected during the am. peak (that is, trains with departure times between 0700 and 0900 inclusive) and 23 were affected during the pm. peak (that is, trains with departure times between 1630 and 1830 inclusive).

3. The number of times trains to Linlithgow, Polmont and other intermediate stations have been cancelled, but the train still arrived at Glasgow Queen Street

Over this time (from 24th November 2016 to 22nd July 2017), the number of times that individual stations have been affected by this policy applied to Edinburgh & Glasgow Line trains is as follows:

Station
Croy	37
Falkirk High	94
Haymarket	6
Lenzie	2
Linlithgow	60
Polmont	53
Total	252

If we look at peak trains only, the number of times that individual stations have been affected by this policy applied to Edinburgh & Glasgow Line trains is as follows:

Station
Croy	22
Falkirk High	40
Haymarket	3
Lenzie	1
Linlithgow	19
Polmont	19
Total	104

Note that trains are not run on a fail-to-stop basis in order to reach performance targets; if a train does not stop at a station at which it is meant to stop, it is counted as having failed the PPM measure (see next point).

4. The performance target currently being achieved by Abellio

Performance in the ScotRail franchise is measured by the Public-Performance-Measure (PPM), which counts the number of occasions at which a train arrives at its final destination within five minutes of the timetabled time, and with no stations skipped in the course of the journey.

In the year ended 19th August 2017, PPM for the Edinburgh & Glasgow Line was sitting at around 89.9 percent, compared with 90.9 percent for the franchise as a whole. This is against a target set in the franchise of 89.3 percent. This reported PPM is for all trains run, not just peak trains.

5. The total number of cancellations or delays, broken down by their reasons for these delays or cancellations

Transport Scotland does not hold this information; you might care to approach ScotRail directly for it.

Note: Data supplied by ScotRail.

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