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:
All Stations Cancellations
The Operator did not achieve the All Stations Cancellations Performance Target during Period 4, achieving 2.1% 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:The largest contributor to cancellations was a fire near Stratford on Friday 10 July. This resulted in 113 full cancellations and 22 part cancellations between 10 and 18 July.The East Ham points failure on 09 July, signalling power issues related to the Stratford fire on 11 July, and the Manor Park bridge strike on 24 July were the next largest contributors to cancellations.Actions to Remedy Failure:Following the fire being extinguished, significant repair work was carried out on the affected infrastructure near Stratford. This incident will be reviewed through the usual Network Rail processes.
All other incidents are referenced in the On-Time 3 explanation. The high-impact incidents during the period resulted in blocked lines, which prevented trains from travelling through the affected areas and led to a higher number of cancellations.
Expected Recovery:
Except for Period 08, 10 and 12 there are limited opportunities to improve the cancellation score or reverse the impact caused in the first four periods. The reduction in hot weather conditions should help reduce the number of cancellations but we will then move into our Soil Moisture Deficit timetable period which strips the timetable of some resilience which may require ad hoc cancellations to minimise overall disruption.
ON Time to 3
The Operator achieved 90.3% for On Time to 3 against a target of 91.40%, meaning the target was missed by 1.10 percentage points.
The Operator failed to achieve the above Performance Target during the reporting period.
Cause(s) of the relevant Performance Target Failure:
The main contributors to the On Time to 3 shortfall were a small number of high-impact incidents and wider infrastructure-related performance pressures during the period. The largest individual incident was a scaffold lorry striking a bridge at Manor Road, near West Ham, on Friday 24 July 2026. This contributed 586 OT-3 failures, equivalent to around 5% of all OT-3 failures and a 0.49% impact on the total OT-3 score.
Other notable contributors included infrastructure and signalling-related incidents, including a points failure at East Ham depot on Thursday 09 July 2026. This contributed 417 OT-3 failures, equivalent to 3.6% of all OT-3 failures and a 0.35% impact on the total OT-3 score. The asset has since been monitored by Network Rail and no further failures have been reported since 09 July, despite further periods of hot weather.
A further significant contributor was a loss of signalling power between Limehouse and West Ham on Saturday 11 July 2026, linked to the fire near Stratford which started on Friday 10 July 2026. This resulted in 403 OT-3 failures, equivalent to 3.4% of all OT-3 failures and a 0.33% impact on the total OT-3 score.
The top three incidents contributed a combined 1.16% impact to the OT-3 score. In addition to these specific incidents, the period was affected by wider seasonal infrastructure pressures, including heat-related speed restrictions and emerging track condition issues linked to dry weather and Soil Moisture Deficit. These factors created a more challenging operating environment and reduced the ability to recover service punctuality during the period.
Actions to Remedy Failure:
The Manor Road bridge has been struck by vehicles before, most recently in December 2024. Because of its location and classification as a red bridge, any strike can cause significant disruption. There are several signs on the approach warning drivers of the bridge height. A review is currently under way, due at the end of the month, to look at the bridge classification and the arrangements that apply when it is struck. Although the location is made up of three separate bridges, a strike to one structure can result in restrictions being applied to all three.
Network Rail is monitoring points 2041, which have not failed again since 09 July despite further hot weather. Work is also under way to improve lineside equipment reliability and reduce track-related faults on key parts of the route, including Fenchurch Street to Barking. Hot weather is managed through summer weather guidance, policies and assurance checks within both c2c and Network Rail. We are also reviewing these arrangements together to make sure they remain suitable as summer temperatures increase.
Dry weather has affected the trackbed in some areas, leading to rough ride reports and speed restrictions. From 01 September, planned Restrictions of Use will be introduced near Upminster to Benfleet and between Stanford-le-Hope and Pitsea in both directions. An amended timetable will be produced, similar to last year. This year, the timetable has been planned over a longer period with external support. Additional access is also being planned so Network Rail can carry out more tamping and maintenance work during the Soil Moisture Deficit season.
Expected Recovery:
We expect heat-related infrastructure issues to reduce as the weather cools during September and October. Although the target was missed, c2c ranked first for On Time to 3 in the period, which suggests that hot weather also affected other train operators in a similar or more severe way.
Once the Restrictions of Use and amended Soil Moisture Deficit timetables are introduced on 02 September 2026, we expect some of the individual speed restrictions to be built into the timetable, reducing their effect on performance. As this timetable has not been used before, it will need to be monitored and may need to be adjusted to make sure overall performance is maintained. We are also looking to improve results in Periods 06 to 10 to help offset the weaker than expected results since the start of the financial year.
Customer Satisfaction
The Operator achieved 81.4% MAA for Customer Satisfaction against a target of 82%, meaning the target was missed by – 0.60% percentage points.
The Operator failed to achieve the above Performance Target during the reporting period.
Ongoing hot and dry weather has resulted in a number of speed restrictions and other unplanned disruption, which has adversely impacted overall customer satisfaction. Despite these challenges, the introduction of several customer experience initiatives has driven period-on-period improvements, and current trends indicate that performance is on track to exceed target next period.
Cause(s) of the relevant Performance Target Failure:
The primary cause of the target shortfall has been the impact of prolonged hot and dry weather, which has led to speed restrictions and increased levels of service disruption across the route.
Actions to Remedy Failure:
We have established a joint GBR Anglia programme focused on improving the customer experience during disruption. The programme is centred on three key areas:
Information Provision
Contingency Planning
Training
In addition, targeted Customer Experience improvement plans are in place for Cleaning, Personal Safety, Lost Property and Seat Availability. These initiatives have been the key drivers behind the sustained period-on-period improvement in overall customer satisfaction.
Expected Recovery:
Current forecasts indicate that we are on track to achieve target performance next period. However, recent incidents on the route, particularly at Wickford, alongside the impact of Emergency Speed Restrictions (ESRs), may continue to affect customer satisfaction and could slow the rate of recovery if further disruption occurs.
