Rail operator TransPennine Express canceled around one in six of its trains in the four weeks to the end of March, regulator figures show.
The cancellation rate rose from 5.8% to 17% if trains that were canceled until 10 p.m. the previous evening due to staff shortages were taken into account.
This was the highest in the country but lower than the cancellation rate of 23.8% in the previous period ended March 4.
The ailing railway company is to have its contract extended next month.
However, the government has said that no decision has been made on the future of the operator.
The Northern England and Scotland railway company has been criticized after months of poor performance and reduced timetables.
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The operator was struggling to deliver all the planned services due to staff shortages, which it attributed to staff illness and a training backlog, and poor industrial relations.
The Labor Party, regional mayors and some MPs have said the TransPennine Express (TPE) contract should not be renewed.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said on Wednesday the current level of service had been “unacceptable” and if he felt TPE was unable to improve then “there was not an option off the table”.
He told the Transport Select Committee he had to make a decision that was “legally defensible” by reviewing all the evidence about the service and the “company’s ability to improve those services.”
In January, TPE’s chief executive admitted to the BBC services that it hadn’t been good enough and said the company had a recovery plan in place to do better.
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