Trains on the Brighton mainline are less reliable than those in war-torn Ukraine.

A comparison of train delay data found that the number of trains arriving more than five minutes late is significantly higher across Sussex train stations than in the Eastern European country.

The data for the region is a stark contrast from the services in Ukraine which were recently praised.

Amid the ongoing war in the country, around 18 per cent of trains in the last 12 weeks have been delayed by over five minutes or were cancelled.

In comparison, up to a third of trains at some stations on the Brighton mainline were delayed by over five minutes or cancelled.

Brighton railway station, which had the lowest percentage of delayed trains, was on par with the war-torn country with 18 per cent of trains being more than five minutes late.

Statistics for other stations were:

  • Preston Park – 33 per cent
  • Hassocks – 33 per cent
  • Burgess Hill – 30 per cent
  • Wivelsfield – 31 per cent
  • Haywards Heath – 32 per cent
  • Balcombe – 33 per cent
  • Three Bridges – 32 per cent
  • Gatwick Airport – 27 per cent

Statistics for each station were measured from August 2022 to December 2022.

Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Govia Thameslink Railway, who run services on the Brighton mainline, said: “Regrettably delays increased in Sussex towards the end of last year, mainly down to infrastructure issues, particularly caused by severe weather leading to landslips and flooding in the area.

“Sadly, we’ve also seen increasing incidents of trespass on the railway. All of these factors have an impact on customer journeys, which we know is extremely frustrating for passengers.

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“We have an action plan in place to make improvements and we continue to work closely with partners such as Network Rail to improve reliability for our customers.”

Govia Thameslink Railway, who operate Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express trains, also argued that statistics are not directly comparable with Ukrainian services as these were long distance inter-city services.