transport · the national record
UK rail reliability: punctuality and cancellations
Britain's rail network runs around 1.9 million train services a quarter. In the latest quarter (Jan to Mar 2026), 68.79% of recorded station stops arrived within 59 seconds of schedule and 86.41% arrived within 3 minutes. The Public Performance Measure, which counts trains reaching their final destination on time, stood at 87.09%. Cancellations ran at 3.2% of trains planned. This page maps what the numbers say, where they are worst, and how the network has changed since 2019.
How to read this
Punctuality and cancellation figures are published quarterly by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), using data provided by Network Rail. The on time measure counts whether each recorded station stop is reached within 59 seconds of the scheduled time. The Public Performance Measure (PPM) counts whether a train reaches its final destination within 5 minutes (commuter and regional) or 10 minutes (long distance) of schedule. The cancellations figure combines full cancellations and half weight part cancellations. Data cover Great Britain; Northern Ireland's railways are not included.
Computed from ORR Table 3133 (punctuality by operator, quarterly, April 2014 to March 2026), Table 3123 (cancellations by operator and cause, quarterly, April 2019 to March 2026), and Table 3113 (PPM by operator, quarterly, April 2019 to March 2026). All published 28 May 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0. Latest quarter data are provisional.
Latest period: Jan to Mar 2026 (provisional). Published 28 May 2026.
National trend
How punctuality has moved since 2019
Before the pandemic, around 9 in 10 trains were meeting the Public Performance Measure. Punctuality deteriorated sharply in 2021 to 2022 as services recovered unevenly and the network faced a combination of staff shortages, infrastructure faults, and industrial action. In the latest quarter, 86.41% of station stops were reached within 3 minutes of schedule and the PPM stood at 87.09%. The strict on time measure (within 59 seconds) gives a harder read: 68.79%.
Proportion of recorded station stops reached within 59 seconds of schedule. Annual average across four quarters. Source: ORR Table 3133.
Cancellations
The rise in cancelled trains
Cancellations have risen substantially since 2019. In the first quarter of 2019/20, 2.42% of trains were cancelled. The rate peaked at 4.07% in 2024/25 (annual average). In the latest quarter, the national rate was 3.2%.
Cancellations include full cancellations and half weight part cancellations. Annual average across four quarters. Source: ORR Table 3123.
By operator
Which train companies are most and least reliable
Performance varies considerably across train operating companies. In the latest quarter (Jan to Mar 2026), Greater Anglia had the highest on time rate at 82.18%, while Avanti West Coast had the lowest at 42.2%. On cancellations, Hull Trains had the fewest at 1.32% and CrossCountry had the most at 6.97%. Operators differ in type of service: commuter, long distance, and freight mix all affect scores.
Best on time rate (Jan to Mar 2026)
Lowest on time rate (Jan to Mar 2026)
Highest cancellation rate (Jan to Mar 2026)
Operators sorted worst to best. Bars scaled to CrossCountry (highest rate). Aggregate region rows excluded.
Questions this raises
For passengers and policy
- 1.
Cancellations are higher now than in 2019, even after emergency timetabling was introduced to improve reliability. What structural changes would bring the rate down?
- 2.
The gap between the best and worst operators is large. How much of that reflects network infrastructure and route type rather than operator performance?
- 3.
The on time (59 second) measure is far stricter than PPM. Should passengers be told more clearly which clock the industry uses to report reliability?
- 4.
Strike action and infrastructure faults have both driven cancellations. How should the two be reported separately so passengers can distinguish systemic from industrial causes?
Sources & method
Data provenance
- Table 3133: Train punctuality at recorded station stops by operator (ORR) ↗· Open Government Licence v3.0
- Table 3123: Trains planned and cancellations by operator and cause (ORR) ↗· Open Government Licence v3.0
- Table 3113: Public Performance Measure by operator and sector (ORR) ↗· Open Government Licence v3.0
- Table 3103: Historic trains planned, PPM, and CaSL by operator (ORR) ↗· Open Government Licence v3.0
Caveats & data notes
- Data for the latest quarter (January to March 2026) are provisional and may be revised in future releases.
- The on time measure (trains arriving within 59 seconds) is stricter than PPM (5 or 10 minutes to final destination). They measure different things and should not be compared directly.
- PPM thresholds differ by service type: 5 minutes for London and South East, Regional, and Scotland operators; 10 minutes for long distance operators. This affects cross operator comparisons.
- Cancellations figures combine full cancellations and half weight part cancellations. A train that runs half its route counts as 0.5 of a cancellation.
- Data cover Great Britain. Northern Ireland Railways is not included.
- Some operators have suspended services or changed franchise during the period (notably during the pandemic). Rows marked [z] indicate data not applicable for that period.
- Punctuality data are sourced from Network Rail and refreshed every four weeks. Small revisions between quarters are normal.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Every figure on this page traces to its official source. Share it as it stands.
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