PUNCTUALITY on the railways has improved further this month for passengers in South Bucks.

The latest statistics for June showed that 93 per cent of trains run by Chiltern Railways arrived within five minutes of the timetabled time.

This is a rise of more than ten per cent from May and bucks a trend which saw many other operators in the south east region have a fall in their punctuality.

Steve Murphy, the general manager for Chiltern Railways, said he was very pleased with the passenger performance measures (PPM).

He said: "The latest PPM figures are a vindication of our continued efforts to provide a reliable service to our passengers."

Mr Murphy added: "Chiltern Railways is especially pleased with the period of May 27 to June 26 when 93 per cent of our trains arrived within five minutes of the timetabled time."

He said: "We are continuing in our efforts to provide passengers with a safe and reliable railway."

Chiltern Railways is also seeking public opinion prior to a £200 million investment in new and refurbished trains.

Passengers, staff, railway safety organisations and rail user groups are being asked for their opinions before decisions are made about major refurbishments on the company's 165 turbo trains.

"Our passengers know better than anyone what makes a comfortable journey so we are inviting them and their representatives to give us their opinions on space, seating and comfort on our trains," said Mr Murphy.

"Our passengers views will be at the heart of the development process and incorporated into our decisions on refurbishment of existing rolling stock and the purchase of new trains."