Shropshire Star

Region's trains among worst for cancellations and running late, data reveals

Two of the region's train operators were among the top 10 when it came to the highest percentage of cancelled or significantly late trains.

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Two of the region's train operators were among the top ten when it came to the highest percentage of cancelled or significantly late trains

New research carried out by Claims.co.uk has revealed which train operators had the highest percentage of cancelled or significantly late trains, to determine which operator is most likely to experience disruptions throughout 2024.

The data investigated passenger rail performance between 2018 and 2022, analysing over 20 train operators and their performance.

Two of the region's trains providers, West Midlands Trains and Transport for Wales, were among the top 10 for most cancellations or were significantly delayed.

They weren't the worst offenders though, with north England's TransPennine Express taking the top spot with 7.95 per cent of all trains experiencing cancellations or being significantly delayed.

TransPennine was followed by Avanti West Coast, London North Eastern Railway and Caledonian Sleeper.

Tying in fifth place were Govia Thameslink Railway and West Midlands Trains, which had 5.77 per cent of trains between 2018 and 2022 experiencing cancellations.

Govia Thameslink Railway performed slightly better when it came to the percentage of on-time trains (65.7 per cent) compared to West Midlands Trains at 65.2 per cent.

TfW Rail came in seventh place with 4.80 per cent of trains experiencing cancellations, with 77.7 per cent of their trains running on time.

A West Midlands Railway spokesperson said: "These figures include cancellations outside the control of train operators such as extreme weather and infrastructure failures, as well as sickness-related cancellations during the pandemic.

"Running a reliable railway is our top priority and we are working hard to improve our performance and reduce cancellations while continuing to roll out two brand new train fleets for our passengers in the West Midlands.

"Should a train be cancelled for any reason and a passenger be delayed by 15 minutes or more as a result, compensation on the cost of the ticket is available via our Delay Repay scheme."

TfW was approached for comment.