More than 360,000 trains were delayed or cancelled this year
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It is that time of the year again to take stock of the past year, including how well or badly UK train operators fared for travel. And that includes digging into the latest train delay figures which reveal that more than 360,000 train services across the UK were fully or partially cancelled.
![[People looking at information screens at Paddington station.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_185783227-3903.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
If you have ever been trapped on a stuck train or anxiously looked on a train station information board as the departure time keeps slipping further away, this number can be particularly infuriating. Campaigners said the delays and cancellations ‘erode passengers’ faith in the railways’ and that cancellations are likely to get worse.
![[Commuters waiting for a train at York train station platform.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234256834-3a98.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Here is a roundup of the best and worst train operators for cancellations. The train service reliability is said to be affected by major staffing shortages. A total of 208,000 services were fully or partially axed in the past year, while 161,000 were part-cancelled which means they failed to serve at lest one of their planned stops.
The first spot goes to Avanti West Coast which got the highest cancellation score, according to PA news agency’s analysis of the latest Office of Rail and Road (ORR) data. Avanti West Coast had a cancellation score of 7.8% in the year to November 9. It was followed by CrossCountry (7.4%), Northern (5.7%) and Govia Thameslink Railway (5.2%).
The cancellation score – produced by the rail industry – is created by counting full cancellations as one and part cancellations as half. In the UK overall, 4.0% of the 7.3 million trains in the year to November 9 were cancelled – the worst joint reliability performance figure since March 2015 when records began when the cancellation score was just 1.9%.
