THE total number train cancellations has risen since last year, according to new figures by compiled by the Witham and Braintree Rail Users Association.

According to the figures the biggest cause of cancellations on peak services from Braintree, Witham and Chelmsford to London Liverpool Street is train failures.

The mid-year figures show that between July 2016 and the end of June 2017 there were 17 cancellations as a result of train failures, compared to ten in the 12 months before.

David Bigg, chairman of the Witham and Braintree Rail Users Association, said that the figures were unsatisfactory but could possibly be explained by one thing.

He said: “It could be a sign of Greater Anglia’s fleet coming to the end of its life, we are unsure, but the figures are not good.

“The new trains are going to start operating any time soon and it looks like it will be worse for passengers in certain respects.

“For one they will not have as many toilets as the current stock.

“There will only be a toilet one in every two carriages not one in each like it is now.

“This could cause problems for people travelling with children in particular.

“We are trying to see if the production can be changed and we will be following that up.”

Signal failures were the second biggest cause of cancellations, however the number of these during the past year dropped significantly from 19 to 12.

Approximately 15.8 percent of trains were said to be late during the last year, an increase from 15.2 percent the previous year.

The figures, which exclude fatalities and other unavoidable events such as extreme weather conditions, help shape the user group’s priorities for the coming months.

Mr Bigg said that pedestrian access, car parking, security issues and temperature regulation at stations were top of their list of priorities.

A Greater Anglia spokesperson said: “We apologise to those passengers who have been delayed on our network due to train faults.

"We are currently investing more than £5m in our existing train fleet to make our trains more punctual and reliable. We have already been making significant progress and, earlier this year, Greater Anglia won an award for the reliability of its Intercity trains, while the Class 321 fleet, which serves commuter routes in Essex, saw an improvement of 54% in its reliability.

"We will continue to invest in and focus on train reliability improvements and, looking a little further ahead, during 2019/2020, every single train in our fleet will be replaced with brand new, state-of-the-art trains which should improve punctuality and reliability still further.

"Following a public consultation on the design of our new trains, we are in the process of agreeing their final specification, including for the interior layout and on-board facilities. Our aim is to markedly enhance the service standards and on-train environment that our customers experience when travelling with us.”