New figures published today by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) show that there has been no improvement in punctuality on British railways over the last 12 months.

A fifth of all trains are not arriving on time and passenger complaints are significantly up.

The Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has called the figures ‘disappointing’ but claims that there will be improvements.

For its part, the SRA is announcing plans to improve the operation and performance of the train network.

Mr Darling told the BBC that there is now realism in the industry. ‘We’ve got a plan, we’re getting on with it, we’re getting a grip of the situation, we’re sorting out the problems and that’s why I’m optimistic about the future of the railways,’ he explained.

The new plans will set targets for trains on key long distance routes and will propose how other services could be added without hitting performance. Earlier in the year the SRA announced the controversial move that 500 trains were to be cut to ease congestion.

In terms of performance the picture was one of “steady, slow improvement”, SRA chair Richard Bowker insisted today, adding: “That is good, but clearly there is an awful lot more to do in terms of performance and reliabilty, and the industry does have to remain completely focused on that as something that passengers are very concerned about”.

“Clearly we would like it to be more and quicker, but don’t forget that we are running now 18,000 trains every day on the UK railways, which is 20% more than even four or five years ago”.

As for reports of forthcoming ticket prices, Mr Bowker remarked: “We have got to, in my view, get a proper balance between what the taxpayer pays and what the passenger pays. In the last five and six years, the taxpayer has contributed a greater proportion than the farepayer”.

The SRA’s conclusions on ticket prices are to be announced shortly.