This summer saw record levels of train cancellations across the United Kingdom, with new data revealing the worst rail performance since official records began. Analysis from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) showed that more than 112,000 services were partly or fully cancelled during the summer months, marking a 49 percent increase compared to 2019. Cancellations accounted for 6 percent of all planned services, doubling the national cancellation rate target of 3 percent set by Network Rail, the public body responsible for rail infrastructure management.
Passengers on various routes experienced significant disruption, with communities reporting widespread impact on daily commutes, educational travel, and medical appointments. In King’s Lynn, Mark Collins, 63, tracked cancellations on his local service to Cambridge since June, noting 177 cancellations in June, 380 in July, and 280 in August. He described the level of disruption as unprecedented and detrimental to many people's plans.
Among train operators, Avanti West Coast had the highest cancellation rate at 12.6 percent, more than double the national average. This operator runs the key London to Manchester route, frequently used by government officials, including those travelling to Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s office. Avanti drivers secured a 3.6 percent pay increase after a potential strike threat last month. Alongside cancellations, Avanti received over 1.4 million delay repayment claims in the year to March 2026, an increase of more than one million claims since 2019.
CrossCountry followed closely with a 12.4 percent cancellation rate, and the London Overground cancelled 9.7 percent of its services. In contrast, ScotRail reported the best performance, cancelling only 2 percent of its services over the summer. Other operators, including Greater Thameslink Railway and East Midlands Railway (EMR), which operates routes used by Collins, both cancelled around 8 percent of services. EMR has been in an ongoing dispute with the RMT union since April, with the introduction of new train fleets encountering issues such as faulty toilets, broken air conditioning, and communication failures.
On-time performance also suffered, with only 65 percent of trains in Britain arriving within one minute of the scheduled time, one of the lowest rates in a decade. Avanti West Coast again performed worst, with just 32 percent of trains arriving on time. Responding to the situation, Burnham criticized the summer’s rail performance in the House of Commons and announced plans to convene a "rail summit" to address the challenges.
The summer was marked by two derailments occurring within two days. One incident involved a Southern train in East Sussex where 20 passengers were hospitalized. In June, a tragic crash near Bedford involving an East Midlands Railway train resulted in the death of the driver, Shaun Burton, 60, and injured over 100 people.
Network Rail attributed many of the operational difficulties to the record-breaking heat and associated extreme weather conditions. High temperatures caused track expansion, leading to potential buckling, and sagging overhead power lines, necessitating speed restrictions and cancellations to preserve safety. Additionally, prolonged drought caused ground instability beneath tracks, creating further risks of uneven rails and flooding after heavy rains. These factors contributed to a significant rise in weather-related interventions, accounting for 20 percent of delay minutes.
The Department for Transport acknowledged the summer disruptions but noted that, when viewed over a full year, the cancellation rate has remained stable at 3.9 percent. It highlighted ongoing investments of £2.6 billion through Network Rail aimed at improving the rail network’s resilience to weather extremes. Network Rail’s group director of system operation, Anit Chandarana, described the summer as "extremely challenging" and apologized for the impact on passengers.