Short-notice train cancellations – watchdog comment

20 January 2023

The rail regulator has written to industry to call for more transparency on last-minute changes.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, commented:

“Passengers are left confused and frustrated when a train they expected to catch is cancelled the day before they were due to travel. They may well be surprised to find that this doesn’t count as a cancellation as operators don’t have to count it if they do it the day before the train was due to run.

“Things like this leave a sour taste in the mouth – and damage trust in the railway. The scale of this so-called ‘P-coding’ in recent months has highlighted the problem. Passengers will welcome the regulator’s call for greater transparency in how these pre-cancellations are recorded.”