North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2026

[whole diary]

[1st fan]

3-coach Turbo^▸ (Class 165 and 166 trains used on Thames Valley services) on a Cotswold Line diagram today. Full and standing after Charlbury and it looked like fitting everyone on at Oxford was going to be entertaining…

I am on the 13:50 from Paddington to Great Malvern which is a three car Thames Turbo with no tables. The WiFi was not connecting until we left Oxford. We are running very late (23 mins) because we had to wait for a driver to arrive at Oxford. On the plus side the seats aren’t too bad to sit on as a result. The explanation given over the tannoy was that there are more trains than normal needing repairs.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Heh - I was on the same train as you, then. Turned out I needn't have speed-walked across Oxford to catch the train home at 14.45…

[charles_uk]

Has there really been nothing to report since 24 January? Anyway, from earlier today:

1P16 0932 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington

This service was cancelled between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford due to unknown cause (ZW)

[Richard Fairhurst]

Just as in Nuneham Viaduct days, Cotswold Line trains magically become more reliable when they don't have to run south of Oxford… 

[charles_uk]

Tonight's halts service from Didcot Parkway to Evesham and the return Evesham to Oxford run cancelled "due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time."

[charles_uk]

And for the second day running:

17:05 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:24 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time

[charles_uk]

07:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 10:14 will be terminated at Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hanborough, Charlbury, Kingham, Moreton-In-Marsh, Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

10:59 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 13:25 will be started from Oxford.
It will no longer call at Great Malvern, Malvern Link, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-In-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 16:15 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

16:32 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 19:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[Witham Bobby]

07:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 10:14 will be terminated at Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hanborough, Charlbury, Kingham, Moreton-In-Marsh, Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

10:59 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 13:25 will be started from Oxford.
It will no longer call at Great Malvern, Malvern Link, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-In-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 16:15 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

16:32 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 19:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 
Just as I got confident enough to book tickets to Paddington from Honeybourne and back next Friday, the uncertainty returns

[charles_uk]

And it gets worse:

10:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 13:01 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

13:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 15:22 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

And the cherry on the cake, the next Cotswold bound service after the cancelled 10:53, the 11:52 Paddington to Hereford train, is a five car short-formation (but not mentioned on JourneyCheck).

[ChrisB]

It's so bad that the wheelchair spaces on those still running are now all fully booked
So I've been routed north to Birmingham to get to Worcester instead.

[Witham Bobby]

And it gets worse:

10:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 13:01 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

13:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 15:22 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

And the cherry on the cake, the next Cotswold bound service after the cancelled 10:53, the 11:52 Paddington to Hereford train, is a five car short-formation (but not mentioned on JourneyCheck).

The OWW^▸ (Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton) "service" is never too many days away from being a joke

There must be some evidence somewhere of a desire to improve the performance on this Cinderella line, but I'm damned if I can see it

[ChrisB]

Their next GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Local Forum meeting is next month & they will get asked & put on the spot....

[charles_uk]

Possible better news. JourneyCheck is still showing the 13:50 Paddington to Great Malvern as cancelled but Realtime Trains is showing it as running and currently ready at platform 5.

[ChrisB]

It is running….but the return (1632 ex-GMV^▸ (Great Malvern station)) still showing as cancelled owing to crew shortage. Wonder where its going ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) I assume?

[Witham Bobby]

Possible better news. JourneyCheck is still showing the 13:50 Paddington to Great Malvern as cancelled but Realtime Trains is showing it as running and currently ready at platform 5.

It's reached Evesham, a few minutes late