Preston had the second highest rate of train cancellation of any large station in the North West last year.
Some 5.4 per cent of scheduled stops at the city’s station were cancelled between 18 August 2024 and 16 August 2025, according to data from the Office for Rail and Road. That is more than one in every 20 trains.
Only Manchester Airport proved less reliable, with 7.4 per cent of trains (around one in 13) being cancelled.
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Overall, the North West was the third worst affected region, with 4 per cent of trains failing to stop at their scheduled station, compared to 4.5 per cent in the North East and 4.2 per cent in South West. At the other end of the scale, Scotland saw 2 per cent of trains cancelled.
According to analysis first published by the BBC, which differs from analysis by the Rail Delivery Group, which represents Network Rail and train operators, there were around three million cancelled stop across Britain out of a scheduled 89 million.
The government is planning to renationalise rail services in Britain and a Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said operators would have to meet higher standards.
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson apologised to those affected by cancellation and said train operators “spare no effort to maintain as many services as possible” but extreme weather, infrastructure faults and trespass could have an impact.
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