YORK rail operators have apologised over the number of services cancelled in recent weeks – with one company admitting the situation was “unacceptable”.

Data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has revealed that eight per cent of all train services in Britain were cancelled during the four weeks to January 7.

That was double the proportion from the previous four weeks and is the poorest reliability on record since April 2014.

The ORR said 53 per cent of all cancellations were attributed to the operators, with the remainder due to issues affecting infrastructure, such as signalling faults.

Operators that run through York Station said staff sicknesses and rail strikes had led to disruption.

TransPennine Express had the highest number of cancellations, out of the ones that run through York, at 11.9 per cent of their services during the four weeks to January 7.

It said that the backlog of training following the pandemic, and the withdrawal of ASLEF member drivers during timetable changes had also contributed to the disruption.

York Press: The service cancellations in the four weeks to January 7The service cancellations in the four weeks to January 7 (Image: PA)

A spokesperson for TransPennine Express said: "We know that the service being offered is unacceptable at present and we want to assure our customers that we are doing all we can to resolve a number of issues and deliver a train service they can rely on.

“The biggest and most immediate positive impact for customers would be for ASLEF to allow drivers to work overtime again.

"Late last year we were given authority from DfT to make a new overtime offer but this was rejected by ASLEF without putting it to their members."

York-based Northern Trains had its highest number of cancellations on record at eight per cent, which was the national average.

It told The Press that a high level of sickness absence, which was twice the industry average, and the industrial action, had led to the cancellations.

Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern said: "We recognise that there was a greater number of cancellations and we are sorry for the disruption and inconvenience caused.

"We are now operating our new timetable and seeing an improving picture. Since Monday January 9 we have seen an almost threefold reduction in the number of cancellations across our services.”

LNER and CrossCountry both saw the second highest numbers of cancellations on the operators' records, at 10.2 per cent and 11 per cent respectively, both citing industrial action as a major cause of disruption.

A spokesperson for LNER added: "A number of factors, including flooding along parts of the route in Scotland led to short-notice changes to the timetable during the four weeks."

A CrossCountry spokesperson said: “We recognise that there were a greater number of cancellations over the festive period and are sorry for the inconvenience that this caused our customers.

"This was a result of a prolonged period industrial action, engineering work on parts of the network and some infrastructure issues, which affected our ability to run services."

Avanti West Coast had the highest rate of cancellations for any operator at 18.9 per cent. 

The Department for Transport said it was working with the operators towards long term solutions in reducing the disruptions and to recruit new drivers.