North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2026

[whole diary]

[Witham Bobby]

Tuesday 7th April

Starting the working week with a missing train

ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) did not run Stoke Gifford to Great Malvern "because of a problem with the train" according to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website)

07:13 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 09:43 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:07/04/2026 06:14

Not a great deal of notice for intending passengers.  This cancellation would have been known about by 0440, when the stock did not leave Stoke Gifford

[Witham Bobby]

Wednesday 8th April

15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 17:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:08/04/2026 11:04

18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:08/04/2026 11:04

[Witham Bobby]

8th April

According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website)

1W21 1053 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill was cancelled after Oxford

The return working, 1P26 1316 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington started from Oxford at 1431, and was cancelled after Reading

[charles_uk]

08:18 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 10:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[Witham Bobby]

08:18 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 10:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

9-car unit 802105 arrived  a little late as 1G01, 0632 Swindon to Worcester Shrub Hill, and would have formed this service.  But instead of heading to Paddington, it went to Stoke Gifford empty cars.  "Problem with the brakes" according to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) 

[Witham Bobby]

Friday 10 April

16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:25 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:10/04/2026 16:05

19:45 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 22:24 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:10/04/2026 16:05

Lots more disruption on the OWW^▸ (Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton) today

According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website)

1W27 1350 Paddington to Great Malvern was 66 minutes late at Oxford and cancelled from there.  So the return working

1P34  1632 Great Malvern to Paddington will not run between Great Malvern and Oxford

[charles_uk]

And another:

17:34 London Paddington to Hereford due 20:25 has been cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

(edit)

and there's more:

19:53 London Paddington to Hereford due 22:56 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, Great Malvern, Colwall, Ledbury and Hereford.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

21:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 00:01 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

22:00 Hereford to London Paddington due 01:23 will be reinstated.
It will be started from Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hereford, Ledbury, Colwall, 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.

11/04/26 06:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 09:23 will be started from Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hereford, Ledbury, Colwall, Great Malvern, Malvern Link, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-In-Marsh, Kingham, Shipton, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[Witham Bobby]

Monday 13 April

1W17 0851 Paddington to Great Malvern terminated short, at Oxford because, according to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website), of a problem with on-board safety systems

Leading to:

11:58 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 14:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:13/04/2026 09:54

and then

1W21 1053 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill was also terminated at Oxford, which, according to RTT, was because of the strange and very creative reason of "the late arrival of a service from Europe"

leading to:

13:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 15:22 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:13/04/2026 12:03

[charles_uk]

Neither morning Hereford bound service made it all the way today:

1W01 0952 London Paddington to Hereford cancelled between Great Malvern and Hereford due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)
1W02 1152 London Paddington to Hereford cancelled between Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)

with the return runs similarly affected.

[Witham Bobby]

Neither morning Hereford bound service made it all the way today:

1W01 0952 London Paddington to Hereford cancelled between Great Malvern and Hereford due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)
1W02 1152 London Paddington to Hereford cancelled between Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)

with the return runs similarly affected.

1W01 more-or-less on time leaving Oxford and then dropped time as it continued to limp along until 20 minutes late at Honeybourne and didn't recover after that

1W02 delayed at Dicot East Junction, which it passed nine minutes late, whence the timetable and reality went their separate ways.  Half an hour or so late all the way from Oxford to Honeybourne.  The deficit increased there to 40 minutes, and the train was an hour late when it left Evesham

[Witham Bobby]

A bit past historic now, but, for the record, here's the disruption caused to OWW^▸ (Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton) services 20/4/26 by the lengthy trespass incident "near Paddington"

1W11 Paddington to Great Malvern was cancelled throughout

leading to

1P18 0856 Great Malvern to Paddington return working being cancelled throughout

[Witham Bobby]

20/04/2026

15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 17:47 has been cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:20/04/2026 15:23

18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

Last Updated:20/04/2026 15:24

19:02 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 21:28 will call additionally at Honeybourne.
This is due to the train making extra stops because a train was cancelled.
Last Updated:20/04/2026 15:51

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) reports that the 1523 Paddington was cancelled because it had been "replaced by a slower train"

[Witham Bobby]

Disruption to services 21/04/2026 caused by "Emergency services dealing with an incident close to the railway" (?between Honeybourne and Evesham???)

09:52 London Paddington to Hereford due 12:46 is being delayed between Honeybourne and Evesham.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway.
Service full and standing.
Last Updated:21/04/2026 11:48

From what I can make out, this was terminated at Moreton in Marsh and sent back to Paddington forming a different service to it's booked return working

10:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 13:01 was terminated at Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hanborough, Charlbury, Kingham, Moreton-In-Marsh, Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcestershire Parkway Hl and Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway.
Last Updated:21/04/2026 11:44

10:59 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 13:25 is being delayed at Evesham.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway.
Last Updated:21/04/2026 11:40

11:58 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 14:23 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-In-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury, Hanborough, Oxford, Didcot Parkway, Reading and London Paddington.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway.
Last Updated:21/04/2026 11:44

13:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 15:22 will be started from Oxford.
It will no longer call at Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-In-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway.
Last Updated:21/04/2026 11:54

13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 16:15 will be starting late from London Paddington.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway.
Last Updated:21/04/2026 11:40

[Witham Bobby]

Update 21/04/2026

Reading local Evesham sources: 

West Mercia Police are saying that they and emergency services are in attendance at Evesham Railway Station in response to reports of a person being hit by a train

Another awful event

[Witham Bobby]

21/04/2026. Update

13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 16:15 will be cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway.
Last Updated:21/04/2026 12:53

According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website), 1P34, the return 1632 from Great Malvern to Paddington working is cancelled too.  I can't see a mention of that on JourneyCheck