Bird strike among causes of Helensburgh disruption - ScotRail

The bird strike at Bellgrove in the east end of Glasgow on July 5 was one of three incidents which significantly affected trains on the route between Helensburgh Central and Edinburgh.

Other problems identified in the train operator’s latest performance report, covering the four-week period from June 23 to July 20, include damage to the overhead electric wires at Charing Cross station on June 26 and at Partick a day later.

The report, meanwhile, says Helensburgh’s train service is still less punctual than the Scottish average.

The rolling 12-month performance figure for trains to Helensburgh Central during the same four-week period was 81.2 per cent – meaning that almost one in five trains to Helensburgh failed to reach their destination within five minutes of their scheduled arrival time, the rail industry’s ‘public performance measure’ (PPM) standard.

Across Scotland the figure was 90.7 per cent.

When the tougher standard of trains reaching their destination within one minute of their scheduled arrival time is applied, the figure for Helensburgh Central falls to 41.2 per cent.