TRAIN reliability in Britain has reached the worst level on record after another month of disruption.

The industry’s cancellations score during the 12 months to August 20 was 3.7 per cent, analysis of Office of Rail and Road data by the PA news agency found.

That was the poorest reliability in records dating back to 2015.

Strikes in disputes over jobs, pay and conditions have caused a surge of cancellations in recent months.

Cancellation scores reflect the percentage of services that are either fully or part-cancelled.

Each part-cancellation is counted as half a full cancellation.

The score for all services in the latest available four-week period of data from July 24 to August 20 was 4.9 per cent.

The worst individual operator between those dates was Avanti West Coast, with its highest ever score of 14.9 per cent.

Other operators which also had their poorest reliability for a four-week period include London North Eastern Railway (11 per cent), East Midlands Railway (5.5 per cent) and Grand Central (12 per cent).

Govia Thameslink Railway – which consists of Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services – recorded its second worst cancellations score of 11.1 per cent.

A spokesman for industry body the Rail Delivery Group said: “We know that reliability and punctuality are the most important areas for improvement for our passengers and apologise to all those who have experienced disruption to their travel plans.

“We need to end the unnecessary and damaging strikes called by the leaders of the transport unions which disrupt passengers’ plans, undermine struggling businesses and upend the industry’s recovery.

“They are opposing the very reforms that will improve reliability and punctuality and therefore help build a sustainable railway.”

Another rail strike has been announced by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union for early October, as industrial action continues around the nation.

It has been announced that Saturday, October 8 will be when 40,000 RMT workers at Network rail and 15 train operators plan to walk out.

This adds onto the rail strikes planned by the train drivers union Aslef which are scheduled for Saturday, October 1 and Wednesday, October 5.