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57 trains ‘significantly late’ every day on average in Britain

5,250 trains were between 30 and 119 minutes late from July to September 2015

Alexandra Sims
Saturday 12 March 2016 14:45 GMT
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The Caledonian Sleeper was the most disrupted service
The Caledonian Sleeper was the most disrupted service (Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

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More than 50 train services are “significantly late” every day in Britain, industry figures have revealed.

An analysis of Office Rail and Road (ORR) data by Press Association found that 5,250 trains were between 30 and 119 minutes late from July to September 2015.

The figures, which show 57 trains are late every day on average in the UK, do not include trains more than two hours late.

The Caledonian Sleeper was the worst offender, with 3.7 per cent of it services, which run overnight between London and Scotland, suffering from disruption.

First Hull Trains was the second worst performing service with 2.7 per cent of its trains disrupted.

Virgin Trains East Coast (2.6 per cent) and Grand Central (two per cent) were the third and fourth most disrupted services respectfully.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said the statistics were "shocking", adding that services are being disrupted due to "a shortage of fleet, staff and chronic under-investment in infrastructure".

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) claimed the figures reveal rail companies believe "maximising profits is more important than delivering a good service".

First Hull Trains was the second worst performing service Getty
First Hull Trains was the second worst performing service Getty (Getty)

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators and Network Rail, called timetables as a "promise to passengers", adding "we never want people to suffer delays or disruption".

"Train operators and Network Rail are working hard together every day to deliver a better, more punctual railway and to give people better information when things do go wrong.

"The rail industry has cut the number of incidents causing delays every year, but a busier network means that incidents can have a greater knock-on effect."

James MacColl, of the Campaign for Better Transport, called on train companies to make the process of receiving compensation when services are severely delayed more transparent for passengers.

"Late-running trains can be very frustrating,” said Mr MacColl, “but far too few passengers understand when they're due compensation or how they should go about claiming it.

"With record numbers of people now relying on the railways - and technology like electronic tickets becoming more widespread - this needs to change."

Rail Minister Claire Perry said the compensation scheme available to passengers is "generous".

The trains companies with the most disrupted services between July and September 2015:
1. Caledonian Sleeper: 3.7% (one in 27), 0.2 per day

2. First Hull Trains: 2.7% (one in 38), 0.3 per day

3. Virgin Trains East Coast: 2.6% (one in 38), four per day

4. Grand Central: 2.0% (one in 50), 0.4 per day

5. Virgin Trains West Coast: 1.9% (one in 54), five per day

6. CrossCountry: 1.0% (one in 103), three per day

7. First TransPennine Express: 0.7% (one in 149), two per day

8. East Midlands Trains: 0.53% (one in 187), two per day

9. Great Western Railway: 0.47% (one in 214), seven per day

10. South Western Trains: 0.3% (one in 301), five per day

11. Govia Thameslink Railway: 0.27% (one in 369), nine per day

12. Northern Rail: 0.23% (one in 438), five per day

13. Arriva Trains Wales: 0.23% (one in 441), two per day

14. Greater Anglia: 0.22% (one in 447), three per day

15. Southeastern: 0.21% (one in 471), four per day

16. London Midland: 0.19% (one in 525), two per day

17. Chiltern Railways: 0.17% (one in 576), one per day

18. Heathrow Express: 0.08% (one in 1,248), 0.1 per day

19. Scotrail: 0.07% (one in 1,349), two per day

Additional reporting by Press Association

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