From April, train operators in the UK will publish a new measure of punctuality as part of a plan to reduce delays.

Trains will now be measured to the minute at stops.

This is against the current measure which deems a train to be “on time” if it reaches its final destination within five minutes of the timetable, or ten minutes for a long-distance service.

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the rail industry, said: “Every second matters to us and our customers which is why rail companies have together developed and are now using these to-the-minute measures for train punctuality at every station part of our plan to improve the railway today.”

The measures are the most transparent of all major railways in Europe, Plummer claimed.

Train operators and Network Rail are already using the data to pinpoint issues that cause delays and improve punctuality.

According to the rail regulator, the Office of Rail & Road, total delay hours have increased 22 per cent since 2008-9, compared with a ten per cent increase in the number of trains running.

Janet Cooke, chief executive of London Travelwatch, said: “This is a welcome change which will help focus the industry on passenger needs and foster a culture of ‘start on time, stay on time, arrive on time’.”

The rail regulator will continue to publish on time measures on its data portal and it will form part of the framework for measuring punctuality in reports that it produces, from April onwards.