Driven insane by constant rail disruption stopping people from visiting her café, Majda Benatti has resorted to humour. “I’ve put a sign outside that says “Come in and have a coffee because your train is probably delayed,” she tells MyLondon.
Majda opened Vaffan Coffee right next to Hackney Wick two years ago with the aim of attracting passengers heading to or from the station. Although her business in the East London creative enclave has been a success, she is becoming increasingly frustrated by how much her takings rely on the Mildmay line’s service.
“We are empty when the trains aren’t running,” she says. “When we don’t have people, we don’t make money. On Sunday mornings it can mean the streets are practically deserted. I live upstairs and many of my neighbours complain that they can’t even invite guests around because of it.
“They know their guests might not be able to come or will be left with no way to get home. We’ve had one couple who have moved away because of the trains, as they were always late or spent too much on Uber.”
A government study published in early 2025 to kick off ‘a new era of rail accountability’ revealed Hackney Wick was the third-least reliable station in London between January 5 and February 1 with 8.68 per cent of trains cancelled. It was narrowly better than neighbouring Homerton station where 9.22 per cent of services were cancelled over the same period, equivalent to almost one in 10 trains.
More recent data published by Transport for London shows the Mildmay line as a whole has become even more unreliable since. Between January 1 and June 30 this year some 17 per cent of services were cancelled, with only 57 per cent of trains arriving at the station on time.
Hackney Wick is particularly reliant on hospitality providing a boost to the local economy, meaning it’s arguably hurt more than other parts of the Mildmay line during rail disruption.
Gigi Alberto, who owns Natura pizza restaurant on Felstead Street, believes he has lost thousands of pounds due to London Overground disruption. “The trains are absolutely terrible,” he tells MyLondon. “They always cancel or delay the trains and give us no reason for it, the board just changes.
“My staff can’t rely on it to get to and from work. If it’s good you think ‘this is my lucky day’. It’s the normal routine, why can’t we run a proper train service like other European countries?
“It stops people coming to the area. It affects our customers, it affects our lives. We get booking cancellations when the line is down. West Ham fans often come here before the game, but they’ll cancel late if there are no trains.”
Martin Luk, who set up Luk Bros Asian restaurant in Prince Edward Street 2023, agrees. “It [Mildmay line disruption] kills business on the weekends.
“It’s off and on, you can really tell when it’s not working. But if the line is bad during the lunch or dinner rush we lose a lot of money. If it happens later in the afternoon we’re kind of okay, but it can be really frustrating when it hits at busier times.”
Hackney Wick’s reliance on the London Overground illustrates the area’s transformation into a tourist hub. Once a key player in the Industrial Revolution and credited as the birthplace of plastic, the area fell into decline during the latter part of the 20th century before experiencing mass gentrification in the wake of the 2012 London Olympics.
Ersan Ibrahim, who opened his food van in nearby Wallis Road 40 years ago, believes his variety in customers means he is slightly less reliant on people using the station.
“When there’s a full on strike I notice it, but other times I just say ‘oh, it’s quiet,’ but I don’t know the reason why There’s lots of reasons why business might be down on a certain day.
“I do get some customers from the station, but I also get locals, people who walk down from the park, parents on the school run and students from the university campuses.”
Ersan says Hackney Wick has changed beyond recognition from the early years of running his business. “Years ago there’d be tradesmen walking up to me saying ‘alright geez, could I get this or that”, but it’s very well spoken around here now,” he adds. “A lot of professional people who work in start-ups live around here and students.
“But it’s a good vibe and much nicer and busier now. It gets very lively on weekends. We’ve lost a lot of customers due to Tesco, Sainsbury’s and the food court in Hackney Bridge. The cake’s been cut so many times it can be tough to compete, but when there’s building work going on it’s nice to get that little bump in customers.”
Transport for London said disruption on the Mildmay line can be caused by a variety of issues, including infrastructure failures, trespassers and ill passengers.
“We are committed to offering our customers the most reliable service possible and are proud that London Overground continues to be one of the UK’s highest-performing train operators,” TfL’s general manager for the London Overground said. “We recognise that delays and cancellations can be frustrating for customers and can affect local businesses and communities that rely on the railway.
“We continue to work closely with Network Rail, which is responsible for the maintenance of the track, signals and other infrastructure, as well as our operator First Rail London and freight operators to keep these issues to a minimum wherever possible.”
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