450 trains reached destination late everyday in 2017-18
The punctuality record of Indian Railways is dismal indeed. According to government data, during April'17 and February'18, as many as 1.48L trains arrived late at their destination. That's an average of 450 out of 12,600 trains a day. However, 25% of the delays during December-January were caused by fog. Ironically, the second-worst performers were superfast trains, which charge extra for their speed.
The report on delayed trains, in details
According to the data, the worst performers were mail and express trains: in the aforementioned period, 75,880 such trains arrived late. Among the superfast ones (average speed of over 55kmph), 60,856 trains reached the destination late. There is no facility of refund if a superfast train's average speed falls below 55kmph. Another 7,000 delayed trains were premium ones - Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and Durontos.
Railways addresses factors, corrective measures introduced
Officials attributed most delays to internal factors like terminal capacity constraints and asset failure, and external ones like adverse weather and road traffic at level crossings. However, the actual number of delayed trains is likely to be higher since the report included only those delayed at their destination, and excluded suburban trains. Railways have introduced several measures to improve punctuality, including removal of level crossings.
