Rail passengers warned to expect weekend delays due to crew shortages
Rail passengers have been warned to expect short-notice alterations and cancellations this weekend.
A shortage of train crew means CrossCountry services through Stafford, Wolverhampton, Smethwick Galton Bridge and Birmingham will be delayed or cancelled.
Mark Goodall, CrossCountry’s service delivery director, said: "We know that a lot of people are travelling over the festive period and we’re sorry that services around New Year’s Eve this year are likely to be impacted by train crew availability.
“I’d ask that customers check before they travel and continue to be respectful to on-train colleagues who are working as hard as they can to get people where they want to be.”
Services by other train operators may also be busier than usual.
CrossCountry customers travelling ahead of New Year’s Eve are being asked to double-check journeys as train crew shortages could lead to higher numbers of train cancellations.
Though services across all CrossCountry routes could be impacted, areas expected to be particularly affected by cancellations over the weekend include Cardiff to Nottingham via Birmingham, and Leeds to Edinburgh via Newcastle.
As usual over New Year’s Eve, rail services by all train operators will finish earlier than normal so that planned engineering work can take place on the rail network over the bank holiday.
Planned upgrades in the Birmingham New Street area on New Year’s Day will see journey times extended by up to 30 minutes on several CrossCountry routes.
Customers with tickets for journeys operated by CrossCountry services purchased on or before Thursday, December 28 can instead travel on Saturday, December 30, or Monday, January 1, instead for no additional charge.
For journeys involving connections with other train operators, customers should check with the relevant operators for details on ticket acceptance before travelling.
Customers can check the latest travel information on the CrossCountry website or with National Rail Enquiries.
Further information on delay repay compensation and ticket acceptance is available at: https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/disruption
