Heald Green Station in Stockport has had over double the amount of rail services cancelled than the UK average, the most in the Northwest, for 12 months until August.
A BBC study found 2,790 scheduled train stops out of 35,372 were cancelled, leaving passengers ‘unhappy’ and ‘late for work’ because of the Northern Rail cancellations.
“It is a frustration,” said Isabella, a regular user of the station. “But what can you do? It’s our nearest station, it’s easy for us to get to.
“You just hope they’ll do better next time.”
Another user arrived at the station to find his train cancelled. “I’m just waiting for another train to come through so I can get on to Manchester Airport,” he said.
He added that this train had been cancelled before, but that he found it ‘rare’.
According to The Office of Rail and Road the average cancellation rate in England and Wales has been 3.2% in the last quarter, with Heald Green more than doubling this at 7.8%.
“A lot of people are unhappy about the delay of the Northern trains,” a Northern Rail worker, who prefers to stay anonymous, said. “It makes them late for work, it makes them have to go and catch the bus when they’re relying on trains.”
Matt Rice, Northern’s chief operating officer, said: “We have been working hard to stabilise performance and cut cancellations in recent months.
“There are green shoots of progress, but we know more work needs to be done before we can deliver lasting improvements for our customers.”
A train trip from Heald Green to Manchester Piccadilly can cost between £2.50 and £10, depending on the time of day, whereas a taxi can cost up to £75, an increase many cannot afford.