The UK’s worst train operators have been revealed, with CrossCountry, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway topping the table for most cancellations in 2026, according to official data.
Local Insider used the industry-standard ‘period cancellation score’ based on statistics released by the Office of Rail and Road covering the first three months of this year. It found that 6.8% of all CrossCountry services were either fully or partially cancelled during that time period – the highest proportion of any of the 23 operators analysed.
Avanti West Coast follows close behind with a 6.4% cancellation rate, then East Midlands with 4.8% and Govia Thameslink on 4.4%.
The other end of the table outlines the best performing operators, with Hull Trains ranking as the most reliable with a cancellation score of just 1.3%, followed by Chiltern Railways (1.5%) and both ScotRail and c2c (1.6%).
The figures come halfway through a wide-ranging renationalisation process, with a total of 11 major train...