Within 1 minute = On Time performance measures the percentage of station calls which departed origin, arrived at intermediate calls and arrived at destination early or within 59 seconds of schedule.
Time to 3 (T-3) = The percentage of recorded station stops arrived at early or less than three minutes after the scheduled time.
Cancellations
Full = if the train ran less than half of its planned journey.
Part = If the train ran at least half but not all of its planned journeys or it skipped stops on route.
You find out more information on the Network Rail Performance page and Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
Delays and keeping you informed
At c2c we pride ourselves with delivering to you the most up-to-date and important information for your journey. We do this in several ways; from announcements on station, Twitter, the c2c Live App, the Journey Checker system and service alterations pages. With services we want to keep you on track for whatever journey you’re taking.
For more information on delays and why delays occur please go to the National Rail Delays Explained page, which shows a full and comprehensive list of issues which may delay your journey. Delays Explained
How we manage disruption
The rail industry has produced a Code of Practice which sets out guidance and good practice in providing information to customers during times of disruption.
c2c make use of this as a framework for delivering timely, correct and consistent information to you during major disruption and delays to help you make well-informed travel decisions. You can read about our approach in our Local plan for passenger information during disruption 2019
How customers rate our performance
Our Rail User Survey regularly asks a representative sample of 2000 people across Great Britain about their public transport use. Those who used rail in the last seven days are asked about their overall satisfaction with their most recent rail journey and with aspects such as value for money, punctuality and cleanliness.
The last survey was conducted in Spring 2024. Here are our scores for overall journey satisfaction and how we performed against the average London commuter service:
We were below target in Period 6 ( 23rd Aug to 19 Sept) for Stations Cancellations,On Time to 3 and Customer Satisfaction.
All Stations Cancellations
- The Operator did not achieve the All Stations Cancellations Performance Target during Period 6, achieving 4.97% against a target of 1.60%.
- The Operator failed to achieve the above Performance Target during the reporting period.
Causes of the relevant Performance Target Failure:
In Period 6, there were 549 service-impacting cancellations. The largest cause was two separate signalling issues in the Grays area on 8 and 16 September, which resulted in 244 cancellations, representing 44% of the total. The faults affected services operating through Grays, including those via Ockendon and Rainham, with disruption continuing across multiple days.
A further 102 cancellations (19%) resulted from two separate communication errors within c2c Planning on 13 and 19 September. Service reductions had been introduced due to the additional journey time associated with Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) speed restrictions, but the revised service changes were not provided to Network Rail. As a result, the previous service level continued to appear in downstream systems.
A smaller number of cancellations were attributed directly to Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) speed restrictions, where service interventions were required during disruption to reduce the wider impact on customers.
Actions to Remedy Failure:
For the signalling issues at Grays, services were turned short at Ockendon and Purfleet where possible or diverted via Laindon. Rail replacement transport and ticket acceptance were also used to reduce the impact on customers.
Following the 8 September Grays signalling issue, a Significant Performance Incident Review (SPIR) identified actions focused on disruption communications, role clarity and infrastructure resilience. Network Rail has also secured funding for replacement data cabling for signalling systems on Anglia to improve future resilience.
Following the Planning communication errors, an assurance meeting with the Head of Planning has been introduced to help identify and reduce the risk of errors before plans are issued. Additional quality checks are also being carried out within the department.
Expected Recovery:
Recovery is expected to remain limited in the short term. Cancellations were exceptionally high in Period 6 compared with recent performance, although the main issues have now been addressed. Further improvements are being progressed through the SPIR actions and Planning assurance activity.
Soil Moisture Deficit remains an ongoing risk, due to the additional workload for operational and planning teams and the potential need for further service interventions during disruption. Based on current Restriction of Use removal estimates, an elevated risk of cancellations is expected to remain until February 2027.
ON Time to 3
- The Operator achieved 76.93% for On Time to 3 against a target of 91.40%, meaning the target was missed by -15.83% percentage points.
- The Operator failed to achieve the above Performance Target during the reporting period.
Cause(s) of the relevant Performance Target Failure:
In Period 6, 22,043 of c2c’s 95,545 recorded station stops exceeded the three-minute threshold. More than a third of these failures were attributed to Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) speed restrictions under incident cause IV, reducing On Time to 3 performance by 8.5 percentage points.
Other large impacting incidents include:
Two separate signalling issues in the Grays area on Tuesday 08th and Wednesday 16th September. These collectively took roughly 5% of all On Time to 3 failures and a 1.2% impact on On Time to 3.
A fire between Limehouse and Fenchurch Street, this had extinguished by the time Network Rail attended. This accounted for approximately 2.6% of all On Time to 3 failures and a 0.6% impact on the On Time to 3 score.
A track circuit failure at East Ham depot. This accounted for approximately 2.2% of all On Time to 3 failures and a 0.5% impact on the On Time to 3 score.
Actions to Remedy Failure:
As of 08/10/2026, there are 11 speed restrictions recorded as impacting c2c, plus additional Restrictions of Use between Upminster and Benfleet and between Stanford-le-Hope and Pitsea. Of these speed restrictions, ten currently have a planned removal date. Current estimated removal dates range from October 2026 to February 2027.
c2c and Network Rail continue to monitor the timetable, make capacity-dependent improvements, and streamline weekly SMD updates. Feedback from the 2026 SMD season is also being reviewed to inform future processes and planning.
A Significant Performance Incident Review (SPIR) was carried out for the first signalling issue at Grays for the 08/09. This has recommended a small suite of actions primarily looking at communications and roles during the disruption and resilience of the infrastructure.
Expected Recovery:
Recovery is expected to remain limited. Although the On Time to 3 target has been met on some days, performance remains inconsistent, with incidents having a greater impact during peak periods and evening services. Removing the most restrictive speed restrictions and refining the SMD timetable should support improvement, but significant recovery is unlikely until the Restrictions of Use are lifted and the normal base timetable resumes. Most restrictions were introduced for safety following an unprecedented period of sustained hot, dry weather that was difficult to anticipate. Targeted actions should deliver some earlier benefits, but full recovery will also depend on weather, infrastructure condition and network incidents.
Customer Satisfaction
- The Operator achieved 80.9% MAA for Customer Satisfaction against a target of 82%, meaning the target was missed by – 1.1% percentage points.
- The Operator failed to achieve the above Performance Target during the reporting period.
Period 6 fell below target, primarily due to ongoing operational and infrastructure challenges. A series of asset failures continued impacts from the Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD), and other timetable-related issues resulted in reduced punctuality and increased disruption across the c2c network. These challenges were particularly evident on loop services, where customers experienced more frequent delays, cancellations, and service instability, negatively impacting overall performance and customer experience
Cause(s) of the relevant Performance Target Failure:
The Period 6 shortfall was primarily driven by ongoing operational and infrastructure challenges. A series of asset failures, continued impacts from Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) speed restrictions, and challenges associated with operating the amended Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) timetable reduced punctuality and increased disruption across the c2c network, particularly on loop services.
These operational challenges had a direct impact on customer perceptions, with the largest declines recorded in Train Timeliness, Journey Feel, and Issue Resolution. This reflects the impact of operational challenges on customers’ journeys, as well as their perceptions of how effectively issues were managed and resolved.
Actions to Remedy Failure:
In response to the Period 6 performance challenges, c2c has implemented a range of operational, timetable and customer-focused measures to improve service reliability and minimise disruption. Immediate actions have included enhanced monitoring of asset performance, closer collaboration with Network Rail to address recurring infrastructure failures, and targeted management oversight of services most affected by disruption. The ongoing impacts of Soil
Moisture Deficit (SMD) restrictions continue to be closely managed through revised operational planning and regular performance reviews.
To support recovery, c2c has implemented a Special Timetable designed to improve service resilience, provide greater operational stability, and reduce the impact of delays across the network, particularly on loop services. In parallel, the Planning Team has revised its ways of working, introducing enhanced timetable planning, challenge and assurance processes to improve timetable robustness and overall service reliability.
Anglia Railways have also set-up working groups to identify pain points and root causes and are now working on identifying actions to improve the customers experience during disruption.
Expected Recovery:
The Planning Team’s revised ways of working will be fully embedded by mid-October 2026, strengthening timetable resilience and improving service reliability.
Whilst improvements are expected, there remains no confirmed end date for the ongoing Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) restrictions. c2c continues to work closely with Network Rail and industry partners to minimise the impact and restore normal operations as soon as possible.
