'I quit my job so I don't have to travel to work'

A new report into Britain's railways says punctuality is the worst it has been for 12 years as problems with new timetables led to delays and cancellations.

Tool hire manager Ian Cain, 38, tells Sky News why he decided to quit his job.

I used to be a branch manager at a tool hire firm in central Manchester. I travelled into work each day from St Helens to Manchester Piccadilly station.

The journey was originally 40 minutes, however, when the government introduced the new timetable my journey time increased to 2-3 hours each day.

Leaving the house around 5am and arriving home after 8pm because of the delays were the worst part of my day. I had no life and was completely worn out.

Prior to arriving into work, I would search the route and train times every day, hoping to find a better solution to this problem.

Even though I did this, trains were still getting cancelled at the last minute. When I managed to get on a train, it would terminate before I reached my destination.

This would usually result in me travelling across town to Manchester Victoria. Unfortunately for me, everyone decided to take that route.

This resulted in trains being completely packed out and commuters waiting an hour or more for the next train.

I had to cut my hours at work, which subsequently affected my pay. I was earning less money and my stress levels were increasing drastically.

I was constantly booking time off work because of how much the commute was affecting my mental state. It was literally killing me.

I was put on depressants because of how bad my mental state had become and had no choice but to change my career path.

The main problem with the trains is the fact that you have no control over your day whatsoever because of the constant delays and cancellations.

What makes it worse is the fact that staff show no type of remorse at all. They are more concerned about ticket prices.

I was never given an alternative route into work and was forced to accept the fact that if a train was cancelled, that was it.

My only option was to carry on with it or leave my job so I decided to resign after six weeks of issues, as nothing seemed to be improving.

I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders as soon as I left my job.

In July, the opportunity came up to run a pub near Blackburn, so I moved 30 miles from home and now I live in the pub and run it.

I have a lot more control over everything I do and I know I can't be late for work because I live upstairs. I am now my own boss and can pick and choose my time wisely.

In addition to this, I can spend more time with my family and my son. I want to make the most out of the time I have with him now before he becomes an adult.

I am no longer spending six hours a day commuting, worrying about what time I'll be getting home. My life has improved significantly.

Family and friends have also seen a massive improvement in my well-being - I was always stressed out and exhausted, and barely had time for them.

What the government needs to do is consider the cost of travel and think about the level of service they're providing for paying customers.

If we were guaranteed a better service, people wouldn't be too bothered about an increase in prices.

People want to see improvements before they put their trust in National Rail and travel is becoming stupidly expensive and should be reduced.

:: Transport Secretary Chris Grayling admits railways are 'bursting at the seams'