TRAIN operator First Capital Connect is celebrating greatly-improved timekeeping on its Thameslink line. Figures published by the official rail publication National Rail Trends show that in the third quarter of last year, FCC s timekeeping performance had

TRAIN operator First Capital Connect is celebrating greatly-improved timekeeping on its Thameslink line.

Figures published by the official rail publication National Rail Trends show that in the third quarter of last year, FCC's timekeeping performance had gone up to 85.3 per cent compared to 82.4 per cent in the same quarter in 2006, a 2.9 per cent improvement.

And new internal figures up to Monday this week show an even greater improvement. At the end of FCC's Period 11, performance was running at 90.1 per cent compared with 82.5 in the same period last year. By the end of Period 12 it was up to 92 per cent compared to 83.9 and by the end of Period 13 on Monday, it was 91.5 per cent compared to 90.4 per cent last year.

A spokesperson for FCC put the improvement down to several factors, one of which was a better relationship with Network Rail which tended to be responsible for more than 50 per cent of disruption on the Thameslink line.

He said that among the measures taken to improve the relationship between the two companies was a Network Rail employee being seconded to FCC, and added: "Working with Network Rail is a very important ingredient in trying to reduce disruption."

The spokesperson also said other improvements such as the raising of the temporary speed limit at the Carlton Road junction between West Hampstead and Kentish Town from 15mph to 50mph had made a big improvement as had speedier response times to fatalities on the line.