Ifield railway station in Crawley, West Sussex, has been ranked the worst in the country for train cancellations, according to new figures analysed by the BBC.
Between August 2023 and August 2024, 10.4% of scheduled stops at Ifield were cancelled, making it the station with the highest proportion of missed services nationwide.
Gatwick among worst major stations
The data, compiled from the Office of Rail and Road’s entry and exit statistics, measured the percentage of cancelled stops rather than total trains cancelled. It revealed that Gatwick Airport ranked sixth among the busiest UK stations, with 5.8% of stops scrapped over the same period.
Elsewhere, Earlswood and Salfords in Surrey were also high on the list of poorly served stations, each recording 9.8% cancellations. City Thameslink fared worst among the country’s busiest hubs, with 7.7% of services failing to stop as planned.
Passenger frustration grows
Regular passengers at Ifield described the cancellations as a major disruption to daily life.
“It happens a lot, especially with early morning services,” said commuter Mike Chiappori. “A few weeks ago, I even missed the start of a cricket match because of it. It gets frustrating.”
Another passenger, Vijayluxmi Rawat, said: “Trying to get to work every day with these delays is a nightmare. This station has fewer trains anyway, so if one is cancelled, we’re forced to go to Crawley and take a bus or taxi.”
For others, last-minute changes mean additional costs. “I often check before leaving my house because Ifield trains are so unreliable,” said Victor Narvaez. “If it’s cancelled, I have to pay for a taxi to Three Bridges instead.”
Operator response
Thameslink and Network Rail acknowledged the disruption and pledged improvements.
Emma Pickard, network operations and performance director, said: “We understand our service hasn’t always been good enough, and we’re deeply sorry for the disruption this has caused passengers. People rightly expect trains to run reliably.”
She said efforts were underway to tackle recurring issues such as signalling and power supply faults, while work continues to improve staff availability and strengthen the rail network against severe weather.
