Rail passengers have faced delays on more than half of all services from 10 of Britain's busiest stations this year, according to new research by consumer group Which?. Manchester Oxford Road was the worst performer, with 68% of services delayed, rising to 77% during peak times.
The study, which analysed data from performance tracking site On Time Trains, looked at services at the 10 busiest stations in London and the 20 busiest outside the capital from January to September. It found that York, Gatwick Airport and Birmingham New Street all saw less than 40% of trains arrive on time.
A Which? spokesman attributed the poor performance in Manchester to "timetable chaos earlier this year" caused by the implementation of new schedules by train operator Northern, which had "dire knock-on effects for passengers' personal and professional lives". London King's Cross had the highest cancellation rate at 6%.
Commuters expressed frustration, with one describing a "daily battle simply to get from A to B". Robert Nisbet from the Rail Delivery Group acknowledged delays were "frustrating" and said billions were being invested to "minimise disruption", while also pushing for reform as part of the Williams Review.
