UK’s 10 Least Reliable Train Stations Revealed

A new study published by luggage shipping company, MyBaggage, has identified the United Kingdom’s 10 least reliable train stations.

The study, which utilises data collected by the Office of Rail and Road, focuses on stations with the highest cancellation percentages to ascertain the nation’s worst performing locations.

The study also takes a specific look at each station’s ‘Time to 3’ percentage, a metric based on the percentage of trains arriving within three minutes of their scheduled arrival or departure time.

Of the 10 stations highlighted, the table is topped by Ellesmore Port, Cheshire, which sits at a cancellation rate of 22.8% and 95.8% of trains arriving within three minutes of their scheduled times.

Cheshire continues its trend of high cancellations with Ince and Elton, which sits in second place with an identical cancellation rate, despite a punctuality rate of 98.3%.

In third place, Wigan North Western has a cancellation rate of 17.6%, with only 67.1% of trains arriving on time.

Other stations referenced within the study include St Helens Central, Merseyside, with a cancellation rate of 17.6% and a punctuality rate of 84.3%, Chester with a cancellation rate of 12.9% and punctuality rate of 51.4% and Nuneaton, which may see a cancellation rate of 11.7% but boasts a punctuality rate of just 46.4%, the lowest of the compiled list.

The Office of Rail and Road has stated that the national average cancellation rate across the UK is significantly lower than the rates stated at the 10 listed stations.

Paul Stewart, Managing Director of My Baggage, commented:

Frequent train cancellations and delays can have a major impact on people's daily lives, from missing important meetings to being late for classes or appointments. It's crucial for service providers to address these reliability issues to ensure passengers can depend on the train services they rely upon.

The full list of stations are as follows:

1. Ellesmere Port  – Northern Trains – Cancellation %: 22.8% – On Time to 3 %: 95.8
2. Ince and Elton (Cheshire)  – Northern Trains – Cancellation %: 22.8% – On Time to 3 %: 98.3%
3. Wigan North Western  – TransPennine Express – Cancellation %: 17.6% – On Time to 3 %: 67.1%
4. Gatley  – TransPennine Express – Cancellation %: 17.2% – On Time to 3 %: 76%
5. St Helens Central  – TransPennine Express – Cancellation %: 17.6% – On Time to 3 %: 84.3%
6. Warrington West  – TransPennine Express – Cancellation %: 15.7% – On Time to 3%: 70.1%
7. Chester  – Avanti West Coast – Cancellation %: 12.9% – On Time to 3%: 51.4%
8. Nuneaton  – Avanti West Coast – Cancellation %: 11.6% – On Time to 3%: 46.4%
9. Motherwell  – TransPennine Express – Cancellation %: 15% – On Time to 3%: 73.6%
10. Helsby  – Northern Trains – Cancellation %: 12.6% – On Time to 3%: 64.5%

Raw data for both cancellation and ‘Time to 3’ percentages was standardised on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 and 10 represent the worst and best values present in the data, to allow for accurate comparison between the two. Factors for which a high score would be negative were subtracted from 10 in order to invert their scoring.

Once weightings were assigned, the total score for the factors was calculated, producing an overall index score out of 10 for each station, upon which the final ranking is based.