CENTRAL Trains seems to be making advances in its att-empts to deliver passengers to their destinations on time.

At a time when our railways are under severe pressure, the company has revealed that 72 per cent of its trains on the Worcester-Birmingham route are pulling into stations on time - compared with 60 per cent at the start of the year.

Clearly, it wants to avoid situations where passengers feel like all their Christmases have come at once when trains are on time and they find a seat.

But at the heart of future improvements to services lies Network Rail. Unless it can get its act together, the train operating companies - and their customers - will face a grim future.

There can be no doubt that Network Rail must ensure proper priority is given to improving the reliability of the railway in Worcestershire.

The Government has pledged massive investment in the country's creaking rail infrastructure over the next decade and we deserve our fair share of that cake.

Some work is, we understand, on track and we know that Mid-Worcestershire's MP, Peter Luff, has reminded the powers-that-be how our part of the world should not suffer because London and the South East is given the bulk of management time and mon-ey.

We believe that message has to be hammered home time and again to make sure that improvements happen sooner rather than later.