Three London Overground stations have been named as among the worst in Britain for the number of cancelled trains.
Shepherds Bush, Dalston Kingsland and Hackney Central – all on the renamed Mildmay line of the Overground network – have reportedly seen more than six per cent of services cancelled since the start of the year.
The survey, by the BBC using data from the On Time Trains website and the official regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, said Manchester Victoria was the worst in the country with almost one in 10 trains cancelled.
More than three million train stops in Britain have been cancelled from January to November this year - 3.8 per cent of almost 83million scheduled stops, the BBC reported.
According to the BBC, Shepherds Bush station - which is also used by Southern trains - had 6.8 per cent trains cancelled, making it the third worst performer nationally.
Dalston Kingsland was sixth worst with 6.6 per cent and Hackney Central seventh worst with 6.5 per cent.
St Albans, a key commuter station in Hertfordshire, was fourth worst with a 6.8 per cent cancellation rate.
Confusingly, however, the BBC also said that Euston, Farringdon and Paddington “were the three busiest stations” in London with the worst cancellation rates.
It gave them cancellation rates of 4.4 per cent, 4.3 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively.
According to the On Time Trains website, Shepherds Bush – the 71st busiest station in the country with17,788 entries/exits per day, has seen eight per cent of Overground trains cancelled in the last 12 weeks.
It was given an 81 per cent performance score, which is calculated based on service punctuality and cancellation frequency – taking 1,090th place out of 2,633 stations.
Dalston Kingsland, the 97th busiest station in the UK with 14,065 entries/exits per day, and Hackney Central, the 95th busiest with 14,119 entries/exits per day, also saw eight per cent of their trains cancelled – not surprising as they are all on the same Mildmay line.
The London Overground’s usage has barely changed in the last year, highlighting concerns among Transport for London executives that the “return to the office” has begun to flatline and the post-pandemic recovery is at an end.
London mayor Sadiq Khan unveiled the Overground’s new line names and branding in November.
According to Office of Rail and Road figures for July to September, the Overground carried 45million passengers – up 0.9 per cent on the same period a year earlier.
However the London Overground is the third best-used railway in the country, after the GoVia Thameslink Railway – which includes Thameslink, Southern, Gatwick Express and Great Northern – with 75.9million passenger journeys over the three months, and the Elizabeth line with 61million journeys.
Both GoVia Thameslink and the Elizabeth line saw passenger journeys increase by 10 per cent year on year.
TfL, which oversees the running of the London Overground, said it always tried to keep services running to time.
Stations on the core section of the Mildmay line typically have eight trains per hour off peak and 10 trains per hour at peak times.
In addition, freight trains use the line.
Last January, a freight train derailment caused significant damage to track and cables that lasted for four days.
In June, a trespasser near Kensington (Olympia) prevented any services operating for the majority of the day.
In May, services were affected for about seven hours due to a loss of signalling caused by rodent damage near Camden Road.
Rory O’Neill, TfL’s general manager for London Overground, said: “We are committed to offering our customers the most reliable service possible and we are proud that the London Overground continues to be one of the UK’s highest performing train operators.
“Train cancellations occur sometimes for a number of reasons, many of which are out of our control.
“We work closely with Network Rail, who is responsible for the maintenance of the track, signals and other infrastructure, and Arriva Rail London who operate services on our behalf, to ensure any delays and cancellations are kept to a minimum wherever possible.”
