TRAINS running through Huddersfield have become more punctual, a survey said today.
Figures from the watchdog body the Strategic Rail Authority showed that Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western both improved their performance this summer.
Some 85.4% of trans-Pennine trains operated by Arriva between July and September ran on time. That compares with 80.2% for the same period last year.
First North Western, which operates a Wakefield-Manchester service via the Colne Valley, ran 82.8% of its trains on time against 79.2% last time.
However, GNER, which links Huddersfield with London via Leeds and Wakefield, slipped to 67.9% from 72.1%.
The survey showed that UK-wide a third of trains ran late on some long distance routes.
Overall, the percentage of trains running on time was unchanged at 80.8%.
In general, regional operators improved punctuality by 4.4%, but the figure for long-distance operators fell by 7%.
Inter-city services were worst hit - with delays blamed on speed restrictions and tracks buckled by the heat.
The worst performer was Midland Mainline with just 62.9% of trains running on time against 80.1% before.
SRA chairman Richard Bowker said: "These are mixed results. The overall performance figure remains static and we need to be ruthless in pursuit of improvement and change on behalf of customers."
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