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There’s nothing that strikes fear into the heart of a commuter like the word ‘delayed’. And if you’re constantly dealing with disrupted journeys, there’s one UK train station that you’re going to want avoid.
No, it’s not London’s St Pancras or Waterloo – the station with the most delays is City Thameslink.
Connected to popular commuter towns like St Albans, Horley, Redhill, Bedford, and Stevenage, this London station has seen 76% of all its services in the last six months delayed or cancelled, meaning less than a quarter are on time.
Sandwiched between Farringdon and London Blackfriars, the station sees about 17,648 passengers passing through every day.
Of the 69,120 services that ran through City Thameslink in the past six months, more than three quarters were running behind schedule.
The data, which looked at the top 100 stations based on passenger volume (the busiest stations) and calculated the number of disrupted services for each stop, also revealed other stations which experienced significant delays.
Top 20 stations with the highest service delays:
- City Thameslink – 76% delayed
- Leicester – 68% delayed
- East Croydon – 67% delayed
- Earlsfield – 67% delayed
- Manchester Oxford Road – 66% delayed
- Surrey Quays – 64% delayed
- Coventry – 63% delayed
- St Albans – 63% delayed
- Birmingham New Street – 62% delayed
- Denmark Hill – 62% delayed
- Gatwick Airport – 58% delayed
- Canada Water – 58% delayed
- Bath Spa – 57% delayed
- Sheffield – 65% delayed
- Shoreditch High Street – 56% delayed
- Bromley South – 55% delayed
- Peterborough – 55% delayed
- Vauxhall – 54% delayed
- Woking – 54% delayed
- Manchester Piccadilly – 53% delayed
Those who travel from Leicester station, in Leicestershire, are likely to be delayed on their commute too.
Of the 38,604 services from the station, 68% of them were delayed in the past six months.
Leicester isn’t a bad choice for someone looking to escape London prices though, with semi-detached properties selling for an average price of £269,329.
Terraced properties sold for an average of £220,452 last year, making the city much more affordable than the capital.
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Third on the list, it’s bad news if you live in and commute from Croydon.
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East Croydon train station saw 67% of its 135,988 services disrupted in the past six months. The study, conducted by ePowerTrucks and Online Marketing Survey, found the station was the 19th busiest in Britain, making it a bit of a nightmare if trains are delayed.
With 61,500 passengers passing through, you may want to think about using two of the other stations in the London borough, to avoid work journey dramas.
But, delays aside, Croydon is one of London’s most up-and-coming areas thanks to a £5.25billion regeneration programme and excellent connections to Central London – just 14 minutes to London Bridge – as well as a diverse selection of excellent food and drink options.
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London Square Croydon is a new development with 108 luxury private apartments and penthouse duplexes, within walking distance of shops and restaurants, with prices starting at £358,000.
House prices in Croydon dropped by 3.1%, leaving the average cost of a property at £475,950.
Croydon was also the London Borough of Culture in 2023, with South Croydon and Park Hill proving to be great for families – this may just make the late train services worth it.
In joint third place for the most delayed train station is Earlsfield, which also saw 67% of its 72,021 services disrupted in the past six months.
That means 48,254 weren’t running on time, so it’s bad news if you’re commuting from the London Borough of Wandsworth.
Wandsworth may be one to give a miss if you’re thinking about moving there too, since it saw the biggest house price increase last year at 4.4%.
This means the average house price sits at about £860,483, although it’s no surprise since the borough is home to the ever-popular Clapham and Balham.
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An honourable mention is St Albans station in Hertfordshire – a popular, but expensive, commuter town.
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About 63% of its 55,449 services were delayed over the past six months. If you’re willing to overlook the unreliable trains then it’s a very pleasant place to live.
You’ll need some deep pockets though, with an average house price of £628,899, but the stunning St Albans Abbey and Verulamium park, which is rich with Roman history, makes it a wonderful place for families.
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Other London stations which saw common delays were Surrey Quays with 64% of services disrupted, Denmark Hill with 62%, Canada Water with 58% and Vauxhall with 54%.
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