Train operator CrossCountry will introduce temporary resource-led reductions to its timetable from Saturday 10 August until Saturday 9 November to address performance and reliability issues that have inconvenienced passengers with on-the-day cancellations.
Prolonged industrial action across the rail industry has meant it has not been possible to deal with the backlog of critical training days required by train drivers accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic – when social distancing restricted training taking place.
Reducing services on some routes over a 13-week period – while bolstering services with extra carriages wherever possible – will retain maximum passenger capacity on the CrossCountry network while working through as much of the necessary driver training as possible.
The temporary timetable will reduce numbers of on-the-day cancellations, which cause the most inconvenience to passengers. A similar approach was trialled over Easter which led to a 94% decrease in on-the-day cancellations.
By the end of the temporary timetable, CrossCountry will have more fully-trained drivers able to work across the network and will have reduced its training backlog – providing a more reliable service for customers, with fewer cancellations.
There are minimal alterations to services between Manchester Piccadilly and Bristol Temple Meads in the temporary timetable and all services operating to and from Penzance will be retained.
There will be fewer direct services from Reading to the North East, with customers able to change trains at Birmingham New Street to continue their journey. The route between Cardiff and Nottingham will run around two-thirds as many services as it does currently, and some services will begin or end at different stations.
Meanwhile a trial which saw some station calls removed at Winchester and Basingstoke will end as planned in September.
Bethan Jelfs, CrossCountry’s Regional Director for West and Wales, said: “Removing services from our timetable is always a last resort. I’m sorry for the inconvenience this will cause for our customers and I want to thank them for their patience while these changes are in place.
“This is a difficult decision, but by taking proactive action now we are investing in building a more resilient and dependable service for CrossCountry customers for the future.”
Customers who have tickets for travel on impacted services can travel on an alternative service or request a full refund. Further information can be found at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-updates-information/temporary-timetable .
Passengers are advised to check their journey before travelling using the CrossCountry website or app or with National Rail Enquiries.