TRAINS in East Lancashire are getting more punctual, new figures show.

Seventeen rail operating companies showed an improvement in performance nationally, including Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western which serve East Lancashire.

Virgin West Coast and Virgin Cross Country, both of which run trunk services into Preston and Manchester, also showed better timings.

The Strategic Rail Authority figures showed that passenger kilometres increased by two per cent over the year and passenger journeys by one per cent.

However, the good news for transport minister Alistair Darling was undermined by the fact that complaints per 100,000 journeys rose by six per cent and the amount of freight moved dropped by three per cent.

And despite the better performances of GNER and Virgin, long-distance journeys overall showed a fall from 76.3 per cent of trains on time to 74.5 per cent, caused mainly by difficulties on the Midland Main Line.

Overall, operating sectors showed an increase. Arriva Northern, which runs services from Blackpool North through East Lancashire to Leeds and beyond, has seen punctuality improve from 83.8 per cent 12 months ago to 87 per cent of trains on time. First North Western, whose services include Manchester to Blackburn and Clitheroe, and Blackpool South to Colne, saw a rise in trains on time from 83 to 85.7 per cent.

Blackburn-born SRA chairman Richard Bowker said: "Passengers can be pleased that performance is moving gradually in the right direction, but of course it is not enough. The time schedules we have made for the forthcoming winter timetable are intended to continue the upward trend.

"The rising complaints figures highlights the concerns passengers have about issues such as cleanliness and information - these are exactly the areas that our new franchising policy will address.

"While the trains operators have much to improve, infrastructure performance is of considerable concern and Network Rail must improve the current unacceptable levels."