County's rail provision ranks among nation's worst

By Tim Aldred

04 Apr 2024

Pexels Pixabay 163856

A new analysis of government statistics has shown that the rail companies serving Lancashire are among the least reliable in the country.

Travel deal site Tripplo used data from the Office of Rail and Road between January 2021 and September 2023 to find the percentage of train journeys that were either cancelled or delayed by 15 minutes or more.

The worst offender was Avanti West Coast, which connects Blackpool, Lancaster, Preston, Poulton-le-Fylde and Kirkham & Wesham with Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. According to the official figures, 15.36 per cent of its trains were either cancelled or delayed – working out to more than one in six trains not arriving when expected. 

TransPennine Express, which connects Lancaster and Preston with Scotland, Liverpool and Manchester, placed seventh out of the 24 ranked operators, with almost 10 per cent of journeys delayed or cancelled.

The county's main operator, Northern, which serves stations throughout the county, placed 11th, with 6.5 per cent of journeys affected. The company performs closer to the most reliable operator (Great Anglia, 2.2 per cent) than the worst, but still ranks in the bottom half of the league table.

According to the Office of Rail and Road, the percentage of recorded station stops arriving ‘on time’ (early or less than one minute after the scheduled time) in Great Britain was just 62.2 per cent in the latest quarter (1 October to 31 December 2023).

Axel Hernborg, founder of Tripplo, commented on the findings, saying: “The findings offer a glimpse into the state of the nation's rail services. Across the nation, there's a noticeable variation in performance, with some operators, such as Avanti West Coast, consistently underperforming. This variability in findings perhaps highlights the complexity of maintaining a cohesive rail network while emphasising the necessity for ongoing evaluation, strategic planning, and investment to bolster reliability standards and enhance the overall passenger experience.”

“It’s no secret that the UK’s rail network is a far shout from those within mainland Europe in terms of efficiency and reliability, and these findings simply underscore that.”

Enjoyed this? Read more from Tim Aldred

Latest news

1

Eurofighter deals secure thousands of jobs Typhoon production in Samlesbury, Lancashire

Eurofighter deals secure thousands of jobs

24 Dec 2024

2

Rospen shares global reach and industry expertise with MP Grant McGeever and Sarah Smith MP

Rospen shares global reach and industry expertise with MP

23 Dec 2024

3

The Flow Group acquires Blackburn based Modern Bookbinders in strategic asset purchase The Flow Group's Richard, Mick and Helen

The Flow Group acquires Blackburn based Modern Bookbinders in strategic asset purchase

23 Dec 2024

4

fulfilmentcrowd reports record-breaking performance LeeThompsonfulfilmentcrowd

fulfilmentcrowd reports record-breaking performance

20 Dec 2024

5

Record year for Grant Thornton Northern deals team The team

Record year for Grant Thornton Northern deals team

20 Dec 2024

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
The Lancashire Festival of Business
FOB 315
Exhibitions
30 Jan 2025

The Lancashire Festival of Business

Impact Conferencing, Burnley, BB12 6QP

09:30 - 16:00

Skills Bootcamp in Procurement - Cohort 3
Blue-Modern-Land-Travel-Youtube-Thumbnail-2-1024x576.png.png
LBV Hub Awards
14 Jan 2025 - 18 Mar 2025

Skills Bootcamp in Procurement - Cohort 3

Community & Business Partners CIC, Blackburn, BB2 3UA

09:30 - 13:00

Preston Tech Connection - January Meet-Up
Nov Preston Tech Connection event banner-4.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
15 Jan 2025 - 15 Jan 2025

Preston Tech Connection - January Meet-Up

Society1 Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:30

R.I.S.E. and Shine
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
16 Jan 2025 - 16 Jan 2025

R.I.S.E. and Shine

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

08:45 - 11:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
16 Jan 2025 - 16 Jan 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

LBV120 Magazine Launch Event
DSC9389
Networking
17 Jan 2025

LBV120 Magazine Launch Event

Lancastrian Suite, Town Hall, Chorley, PR7 1DP

08:30 - 10:30

Red Rose Awards 2025
Red Rose Awards 2025
Awards
13 Mar 2025

Red Rose Awards 2025

Winter Gardens Blackpool

18:00 - 11:59

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV118 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin