the train was delayed vs the train had been delayed

The phrases are both acceptable, but they are used in dissimilar contexts. "The train was delayed" is used to simply state that the train was late at a specific time in the past. On the other hand, "the train had been delayed" is used when you want to emphasize that the delay occurred before a particular point in the past.

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Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: December 31, 2024 • 8594 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"the train was delayed"

This phrase is used to state that the train was late at a specific time in the past.

Examples:

The train was delayed due to signal failure.
I missed my appointment because the train was delayed.
We arrived late because the train was delayed.
The passengers were frustrated because the train was delayed.
The train was delayed by heavy snowfall.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 23, 2024

May 11, 2020 ... The train was delayed by the outage of power. Thus, “for” seems more unique for use with time. I was delayed for a quarter of an hour. Who would ...
Jan 18, 2023 ... In English, „the train was delayed“ is passive (edit: or is it not? I think yes because the subject causing the delay is missing). In German ...
Apr 22, 2019 ... The sentence. Since the train was delayed for more than an hour, passengers were given a full refund. is formally ambiguous.
Sep 16, 2018 ... ... I once had a train delayed because the driver didn't show up. The train was delayed for over 2 hours. Upvote 3. Downvote Award Share.
The train was delayed and made me miss my Vy bus connection. What do I do? Read our transfer rules and correspondence guarantee. If your train was delayed, ...
Jun 9, 2020 ... The train "was" delayed some time ago. The train is still late, so you can say it "has been" delayed. EDIT: sorry, didn't mean to make this ...
The train was delayed for an hour. added by an unknown member, date unknown. ➜ #124822 電車が1時間遅れたんです。 linked by an unknown member, date unknown.
The train was delayed and made me miss my Vy bus connection. What do I do? My train has been cancelled. Can I take the Vy bus that goes to my destination ...
Feb 8, 2015 ... The train was delayed. The Relative Clause. All five relative clause constructions also clearly communicate I was traveling on the train that ...
Sep 9, 2024 ... A statement on Amtrak' ...

Alternatives:

the train was running late
the train was behind schedule
the train was held up
the train was tardy

This phrase is correct but less commonly used in everyday conversation.

"the train had been delayed"

This phrase is used to emphasize that the delay occurred before a particular point in the past.

Examples:

By the time we arrived, the train had been delayed for over an hour.
The train had been delayed due to a technical issue.
I was surprised to learn that the train had been delayed overnight.
The passengers were relieved to hear that the train had been delayed.
The train had been delayed several times before reaching its destination.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 23, 2024

Apr 15, 2019 ... ... the train had been delayed by an hour due to bad weather. This was somewhat bad news for Michael, who was already on his way to pick us up ...
Feb 5, 2013 ... It had been a hard week, I was annoyed with several colleagues, the train had been delayed and everybody nearby seemed to be coughing and ...
Sep 8, 2024 ... The conductor also mentioned the train had been delayed before we boarded at Raton because they had to meet the US Marshals to pull a wanted ...
Jan 12, 2017 ... We boarded in Tucson after hearing the train had been delayed by two hours. The conductor told us we'd be able to make up the time and to ...
As can happen, there was a delay, as the train had been delayed on its previous journey but it wasn't that long and we weren't that pressed for time and the ...
... the train had been delayed by 45minutes. The train ride to Boston was pleasant and uneventful. I love the fact that Amtrak offers free wifi on that ...
Sep 23, 2018 ... However, if the train had been delayed for an hour just out of New York for some reason, and then made up the time, I wouldn't care what had ...
It was then that I noticed a text message from my daughter, telling me that the train had been delayed because of an accident at Rokakoen Station. In the ...
... the train had been delayed many hours - up to 10 due to a derailment on 27 Jan. We decided to jump ship due to the uncertainty, (it turns out we made the ...
We showed up at the station at 21:00, one hour before the train was scheduled to depart at 22:00, and were soon told that the train had been delayed a few ...

Alternatives:

the train had experienced delays
the train had faced delays
the train had encountered delays
the train had suffered delays

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the train was delayed vs the train had been delayed

"the train was delayed"

"the train had been delayed"

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