FirstGroup on track for a bumper year

FIRST ScotRail operator FirstGroup today said it had cut delays on its Scottish trains as it unveiled an 11 per cent jump in profit to £195.8 million.

The Scottish company, which is the UK's biggest bus and train operator and also runs a fleet of buses in the Capital, said it had recorded the highest Public Performance Measure - which is a combined measure of reliability and punctuality of its trains - in seven years for the year to March 31.

It added punctuality on its First ScotRail fleet was running at more than 90 per cent, while "operator delays" - those considered to be preventable by the company - had been cut by around 39 per cent since it took over the franchise three years ago.

Over the year, group revenue increased by 22.4 per cent to £3.7 billion, boosted by a strong performance at its UK rail division, where turnover soared by 56.6 per cent to £1.8bn.