RAIL commuters have given a guarded welcome to new figures that show an efficiency improvement by Connex South Eastern.

The statistics released by the Strategic Rail Authority on Friday, show the percentage of Connex trains on time has risen between April and June this year.

A total of 84.7 per cent of trains were on schedule during this period, a 0.7 per cent increase on the January to March period.

And the number of trains on time during peak commuting hours rose from 80.2 per cent to 81.9 per cent.

John Grubb, secretary of the North Kent Rail Users' Group, welcomed the improvement but warned that figures may prove to be down from July to September. He said: "Connex is trying its best and we are pleased by any improvements in efficiency.

"But the introduction of the new Class 375 trains has led to a lot of trains failing and being delayed as they make adjustments to them. "However, we'd rather this was done now and the problems ironed out before winter comes."

The figures show that Connex is operating above the national average of 83 per cent.

But a spokesman for Connex South Eastern accepted that the new trains might have a negative affect on the figures. She said: "The latest figures show an improvement in the number of trains that are on time which is really good news.

"We are delighted performance is going in the right direction but we accept we still have a long way to go.

"Testing on the new 375 trains has put a strain on our performance but we have to work hard to get them right in the interests of the customers.

"Our close partnership with Railtrack means that instead of blaming each other we are working hard together to ensure standards continue to go in the right direction."

It has been announced that the 6.38am service from Gillingham to London will be stopped at the end of the month.