Call for more carriages for region’s rail passengers
A call for more carriages to serve South Yorkshire rail passengers has been announced after a growth in numbers of train users.
Rail patronage figures released by South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (SYITA) saw a 16 per cent increase for 2009/10, 34 per cent higher than the required target.
The results have led to transport bosses in South Yorkshire calling on the government to review its decision not to guarantee extra seats for the region.
Mick Jameson, chairman of SYITA, said: “With more people using the railways, this increased performance demands extra resources so we can accommodate the additional passengers.”
The growth has occurred during the continuing tough economic climate, which will continue drive more people to choose trains as their mode of transport.
He added: “The forecast in our report for Rail Patronage is that it will climb to a level of 2.48 million people a year which is 39 per cent above our initial target.
“Therefore, we ask the government to reconsider their decision as more carriages will ensure our railways’ users experience more pleasant journeys.”
The Transport Authority report also highlighted good performance on South Yorkshire’s rail network for punctuality, reliability and passenger satisfaction.
Punctuality performance was very strong, with the target of 87.5 per cent met in 11 out of 12 months. It is expected to continue to perform strongly this year.
The reliability targets of 98.5 per cent were also met on 11 out of 12 months from April 2009 to March 2010, with nine of those months higher than the previous year.
Meanwhile, passenger satisfaction on the railways grew strongly during the year, exceeding targets throughout and ending 2009/10 significantly above target.
ENDS
Released on behalf of the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority by HR Media Ltd. For more information please contact Joe Winson or Steven Hutton at HR Media on 0114 221 0548.