PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(16 July 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times trains have been delayed or cancelled on the West Coast Main Line due to livestock being on the line in 2021-2022, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26.

Asked by:
Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat)

The Department does not hold data on delays and cancellations caused by livestock on the West Coast Main Line, as Network Rail records such incidents at a regional level. The closest available data is for Network Rail's North West and Central region, which includes the West Coast Main Line.

The number of livestock-related incidents, associated delay minutes and cancellations recorded in the North West and Central region were:

Financial Year	Incident Count	Delay Minutes	Cancellations
2021/22	238	10,615	146
2022/23	206	12,955	170
2023/24	353	29,133	103
2024/25	342	30,332	287
2025/26	485	43,663	305

Answered by:
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