Rail punctuality in Wales improves but cancellations still worst
Transport for Wales recorded the biggest punctuality improvement of any UK train operator this spring, according to the rail regulator, but Wales continues to have the highest rate of cancellations in the country.
Figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show that 83.7% of TfW services ran on time between April and June 2025, up 1.5 percentage points compared with the same period in 2024.
TfW was one of only five operators to record an improvement in punctuality during the quarter.
The regulator’s separate annual figures highlight that 3.9% of scheduled stops in Wales were cancelled between August 2024 and August 2025.
This was the highest rate of any UK nation, compared with 3.5% in England and 2% in Scotland. Six of Wales’ ten busiest stations reported cancellation rates above the UK average, while in Scotland none of the busiest stations did so.
A scheduled stop is counted each time a train is timetabled to call at a station.
If a train is cancelled entirely, all its planned stops are included in the statistics.
If it misses just one call on its route, that stop alone is treated as cancelled.
Transport for Wales said the punctuality gains reflected the introduction of new Class 756 trains on the Core Valley Lines earlier this year, part of an £800 million Welsh Government investment.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said: “I am really pleased to see more evidence showing the benefit our £800m investment in new trains is having. It’s another milestone on our mission to transform our railways. I look forward to seeing more passengers in North Wales using reliable and on time TfW services on the North Wales Main Line, with the 50% increase in services from May 2026 thanks to Network North Wales.”
TfW chief operating officer, Marie Daly, said: “Over the last few years, we’ve been continuously introducing brand-new trains to our network in a phased approach as part of Welsh Government’s £800 million pound investment into brand-new trains in Wales. These new trains transform the customer experience onboard for our customers and we are now at a stage where they are having a really positive impact on our rail performance.”
on the cancellation data, Plaid Cymru transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, said the ORR’s figures underlined decades of underinvestment in Welsh railways by successive UK governments.
“These statistics will come as a disappointment, but not as a surprise to the thousands of people in Wales that rely on our trains here in Wales. Too many of them have stories of cancelled trains and days ruined,” he said.
“The UK Government should hang their heads in shame about the dire state of Welsh railways. The connection between the billions of pounds of historic underinvestment, of the lack of electrified railways, and the sky-high cancellation rate is as clear as day. Despite the obvious impact the UK Government’s snubbing of Welsh infrastructure has on our railway services, they continue to deny us of the £4billion we’re owed from HS2.”
Mr Owen Griffiths repeated Plaid’s call for rail infrastructure powers to be devolved to Wales, adding: “Both Tory and Labour Governments have kept this scandal going, proving that all the Westminster parties don’t care about Wales. Only Plaid Cymru are serious about investing in Welsh communities to improve the services available to the people of Wales.”
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