RAIL travellers have welcomed latest figures showing trains in Sussex have improved their punctuality rates.

Industry chiefs announced the best train punctuality results for almost five years.

The figures show nationally 86.2 per cent of trains ran on time from January to March.

The Southern rail figures were not as good, with 84.8 per cent of its trains being on time for the same period.

Despite trailing behind the national average, Southern's figure was an improvement on the previous year when 80.4 per cent of its trains were on time during the quarter.

The Brighton Line Commuters' group welcomed the news.

Spokeswoman Shelley Atlas, said: "We travel up to London daily and, for the peak period, the punctuality rate seems much better and there seems to be a general improvement."

Ms Atlas recently gave a talk to about 90 rail managers about travellers' needs and desires.

She said: "We keep an eye on things and point them out. A short while ago I went to a meeting to speak to their managers and they were keen to get things right. They realised they have to get out and about to see how things are and that's paying dividends."

Although punctuality has improved for Southern, some travellers are still angry about the company's failure to carry bicycles.

About 27,000 riders cycled into Brighton from London on Sunday for the annual charity bike ride and had to organise cars to take them home. The influx of vehicles and sun-seeking tourists brought the city to a halt.

The figures released yesterday are the best since July to September 2000, when 86.6 per cent of trains were on time.

That was the last set of figures before the October 2000 Hatfield rail crash, which led to widespread speed restrictions.

The latest figures are still behind the January to March 2000 period, pre-Hatfield, when 89.1 per cent of trains ran on time.

A Southern rail spokesman said: "This is good news for Southern and its passengers. All the hard work being put into making our services more reliable and punctual is paying off. However, there is still room for improvement."

Broadcaster and regular commuter Simon Fanshawe, from Brighton, said: "We slightly begrudgingly offer them congratulations but we are still disappointed they are below the national average."

"While Southern is improving punctuality, the east to west link from Hastings and Eastbourne to Brighton needs improving."