Train cancellations in the North of England hit record highs with 7am Harrogate to Leeds service unable to run 28 out of 55 times last month

• Britain’s most cancelled train is Northern 7.13am from Harrogate to Leeds
• Worst-performing for local and commuter services was TransPennine Express 
• Study found 49 services across Britain ran on fewer than half occasions due to 

Rail cancellations have hit record highs with dozens of services running on fewer than half the occasions they should have, research has revealed.

Commuters in northern England have been worst affected.

Britain’s most cancelled train is the 7.13am Harrogate to Leeds, the study found. The train, operated by the recently nationalised Northern, was cancelled 28 times out of 55 between December 15, when a new timetable was introduced, and February 22.

The analysis of train punctuality by the website Ontimetrains – published in The Sunday Times – found that 49 rail services across Britain ran on fewer than half the occasions they should have. 

Britain’s most cancelled train is the 7.13am Harrogate to Leeds. The train, operated by the recently nationalised Northern, was cancelled 28 times out of 55 between December 15. File image used 

Some were hit by flooding, but other cancellations were blamed on a shortage of train crews, track flaws and faulty trains.

The worst-performing operator for local and commuter services in this period was TransPennine Express (TPE), which cancelled 5.5 per cent of services.

Meanwhile, official figures from the Office of Rail and Road show 79,027 trains were cancelled in the last three months of 2019, representing 4.1 per cent of services. 

This was a record high in the quarterly cancellation figures published by the regulator since March 2014.

Susie Homan, of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said the industry was working to improve reliability and introduce 11,300 extra services by 2025.

The worst-performing operator for local and commuter services in this period was TransPennine Express (TPE), which cancelled 5.5 per cent of services. File image used 

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