Sean Dilley, Molly Stazicker and Mitchell Labiak
BBC News
PA
This is the first time the information will be proactively presented to passengers
Millions of passengers will see train cancellation and delay data published prominently at more than 1,700 railway stations in England from Thursday.
The data will update every 28 days showing statistics for the most recent month in a bid to increase transparency and to hold operators to account.
The government says performance information will appear on large digital display boards, with smaller stations displaying QR codes for passengers to scan on smartphones.
Ince and Elton in Cheshire was the worst performing station for cancellations in the four weeks to 1 February, according to data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
The BBC understands that the data will not be announced audibly for people with print disabilities but the government says online data will be posted on a new portal which has been made accessible to screen reader users such as those who are blind and visually-impaired.
The concept of publishing train reliability data is not new. The ORR publishes performance statistics which detail the percentage of services that are delayed or cancelled.
Between 1 October and 31 December 2024, some 5.1% of train services were cancelled and only 62.1% of services were on time, according to the ORR.
However, this is the first time that potentially embarrassing information is being proactively presented to millions of train passengers in England each day.
And it is the first time the ORR is publishing monthly figures on the worst performing stations for the whole of England, Wales and Scotland.
Though the data covers all three countries, the Department for Transport only has the power to display it in English stations.
The devolved Welsh and Scottish transport departments currently have no plans to display the figures in their stations.
The data also reveals how individual train operators are performing at each station.
Train operators say cancellations are not always in their control and that the ORR data does not reflect cases when operators plug a gap in their services with another train.
Transport correspondent Sean Dilley shows how a screen at Reading train station details cancellations
Britain’s 10 worst performing stations by percentage of cancelled trains
Ince and Elton (Cheshire) – 22.8%Gathurst – 16.2%Earlswood (Surrey) – 11.7%Birchgrove – 11.7%Rhiwbina – 11.7%Whitchurch (Cardiff) – 11.7%Salfords (Surrey) – 11.7%Arram – 10.7%Hartlepool – 9.9%Ellesmere Port -9.7%Source: Office of Rail and Road. Covers the period 5 January to 1 February
As well as revealing the worst performers, the data also reveals that 33 stations of out of over 18,000 had no cancellations in the four-week period.
Buckenham in Norfolk was the only station with a perfect score. It had no cancellations or unscheduled stops and all trains arrived on time or within three minutes, although only 100 trains stopped there in the month.
‘A long time coming’
Train user Charlotte thinks the rail industry needs to communicate better with passengers
Travellers in Reading were generally supportive of having the data on display in the station, though questioned what it would achieve.
“I think it’s a long time coming,” said Charlotte from London. “You need to have better communication.”
Rachel Alexander from Reading was keen to see the data display followed up with action.
“It would help if they’re doing something about it to have less cancellations and have more trains,” she said.
The move has been welcomed by the independent passenger watchdog, Transport Focus.
The group’s director, Natasha Grice, told the BBC the railway needs to rebuild trust, and transparency around cancellations was part of that.
“Previously, performance information has tended to be available by route or a group of routes. This initiative makes the data more relevant to an individual passenger by showing the numbers for their station,” she said.
Jacqueline Starr, chair and chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group which represents train operators, said the move shows how serious the industry is about putting things right for customers frustrated by cancellations and delays.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC the policy was about creating “a new era of accountability”.
It is part of a wider overhaul of the country’s railways under the government’s planned return to nationalisation under Great British Railways.
“We need to be able to hold these operators to account before we take them into public ownership,” she said.
The government said Rail Minister Lord Hendy will be meeting with all train operators to “address concerns and demand immediate action”.
