COMMUTERS have heaped praise on rail company c2c as an athletics star helped the company celebrate scoring the UK’s best ever punctuality figures.

Reigning national hurdles champion and double European bronze medallist Perri Shakes-Drayton, of East London, joined representatives from the operator, which runs services from Southend and Shoebury into London Fenchurch Street, to mark its recent score of 98.82 per cent punctuality in August.

Clive Tickner, 46, of Horace Road, Southend, who travels into London for his job at the Post Office, said: “The punctuality is vastly improved from when I first started using it in the 1990s, it’s much better.

“Now and again you do get let down but from being the misery line it’s improved a lot. The prices are a little bit too expensive bearing in mind the recession. No-one is getting a wage rise but the fares keep going up.”

Stacey Rudkin, 22, of St Clare Meadow, Rochford, added: “I think the trains are fine, I usually go to Basildon to see my mum on the train, and they always seem to be on time.

“Fares are more affordable off peak but if you have to travel earlier it can be expensive.”