Forty trains cancelled per day across the North West

Departure board at Poulton-le-Fylde train station showing a cancelled Northern Trains service Credit: PA Images

Train operator Northern Rail cancelled 15,800 trains across the North West in the past year according to figures out today. A further 18,696 more were partly cancelled. The app "Northern Fail" compiled and released the data in response to problems across the network that were exacerbated in the Autumn when a new timetable was brought in.

The figures also revealed there were also thousands of services running with reduced carriages causing cramped journeys for many passengers as well as shortages due to lack of drivers and a whopping quarter of a million cancelled stops.

The worst stations for cancelled trains were:

  • Manchester Piccadilly

  • Preston

  • Manchester Airport

  • Leeds

  • Manchester Oxford Road

The full figures from the Northern Fail App:

  • 15,800 full service cancellations

  • 18,696 part cancellations - train not stopping at all scheduled stations

  • 258,266 cancelled stops - number of times a train did not stop at a station as scheduled

  • 28,198 reduced carriages

  • 23% of cancelled services due to a shortage of train drivers

  • 12% cancellations were because of 'faults' on the train

  • 5% because of a shortage of train conductors.

Worst stations for reduced carriages:

  • Leeds

  • Manchester Victoria

  • Manchester Piccadilly

  • Salford Crescent

  • Rochdale

There were also 47 strike days in the last 12 months with "Northern Fail" stating no data was collected during these days as no cancellations were announced.

The "Northern Fail" App was created by frustrated commuter Nick Mitchell, a software engineer when he became fed up of constant delays and cancellations on his daily commute into Manchester.

Rail operator Northern has defended itself against the data, saying it does not show the full picture.