Research shows over half of Sheffield rail services fail to run on time

More than half of trains departing Sheffield train station are late or cancelled, according to new research.
Sheffield train stationSheffield train station
Sheffield train station

The research by consumer group Which? analysed 20 of the busiest stations outside of London and 10 of the busiest inside London.

Sheffield station ranked seventh with 54 per cent of its trains departing or arriving late, or being cancelled.

Sheffield train stationSheffield train station
Sheffield train station
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The data showed around one in 10 passengers using its rail services at peak times have faced delays of more than 10 minutes.

Sheffield station is served by Northern, TransPennine Express, East Midlands Trains, Cross Country and Virgin to destinations including London, Leeds, Newcastle and Norwich.

The study analysed data from website On Time Trains to reveal the proportion of trains which were at least one minute late or cancelled.

Sheffield Hallam MP Jared O'Mara said: 'The report shows my constituents are being badly let down, and I know from personal experience that East Midlands Trains and Northern have a lot of work to do. They often only offer poor quality, decrepit trains when they have the funds, from inflated ticket prices, to update their fleet. This is further proof that we should entirely renationalise the railways.'

Commuters check the boards at Sheffield Station to see if their trains are on timeCommuters check the boards at Sheffield Station to see if their trains are on time
Commuters check the boards at Sheffield Station to see if their trains are on time
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Clive Betts, MP for for Sheffield South East said: 'There are two particular services, Northern and Cross Country where there are continuing problems. The trains are also slower now than before the timetable changes around a year ago. And, despite calls, we are getting no satisfaction from transport ministers.

'We are facing a second rate treatment once again, commuter trains in London are given precedence over peak time trains in the North. I will continue to keep pressing ministers on transport to give Sheffield the proper priority we should have as a major city.'

Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis refused to comment on the matter. 

MPs demanded Transport ministers sort out the appalling services in Northern England.  

Sheffield Train StationSheffield Train Station
Sheffield Train Station
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Which? managing director of public markets Alex Hayman said: "Passengers have told us reliability is hugely important to them. People have been left deeply frustrated at the unacceptably high levels of delays and cancellations which impact on their everyday lives.

"Passengers must be at the centre of the forthcoming Government rail review, it must look at performance targets to drive improvements in punctuality and reliability for passengers.

"The review must not be used as an excuse to delay real action to improve passengers' experiences on the trains today. As a first step, the Government must introduce fully automatic compensation, ensuring more passengers get the money they are owed."

Of the stations analysed, Manchester Oxford Road came out on top, suffering the worst from punctuality with more than two thirds of it's trains been late or cancelled since the beginning of the year. 

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York station had the second worst performance out of those ranked, with 65 per cent of trains departing or arriving late, or cancelled.

Joint third on the list was Birmingham New Street and Gatwick Airport stations, where 60 per cent fail to run to schedule.

Last month the Government commissioned a review of Britain's railways which will consider all parts of the network, including accountability, the franchising system and value for money.

New timetables introduced in May saw widespread disruption to services in the south-east and north of England.

 

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Here are the stations included in the report, with the proportion of trains delayed or cancelled:

Outside London: 1. Manchester Oxford Road 68% 2. York 65% 3. Gatwick Airport 60% 3. Birmingham New Street 60% 5. Bristol Temple Meads 58% 6. Manchester Picadilly 56% 7. Sheffield 54% 8. Manchester Victoria 51% 9. Woking 50% 10. Liverpool Central 49% 11. Liverpool Lime Street 47% 12. Reading 46% 13. Cambridge 45% 13. Leeds 45% 15. Guildford 43% 16. Edinburgh 42% 17. Cardiff Central 40% 18. Glasgow Queen Street 39% 19. Glasgow Central 34% 20. Brighton 26%