By TransPennine Express cuts more services due to Covid
Rail services across northern England are being reduced due to the impact of Covid on staffing.
TransPennine Express said it would be introducing an amended timetable from Monday “due to the disruption being caused by increased levels of sickness”.
Passengers are advised to check the firm’s website for the latest information.
Services between Scarborough and Manchester will be replaced with an hourly service to York, and extending to Leeds at peak times.
Routes, including between Newcastle and Liverpool, Cleethorpes, Sheffield, Hull and Manchester, are also affected.
Managing director Matthew Golton said the timetable changes would affect all routes and was due to “the ongoing impact of Covid and the Omicron variant, as well as some industrial relations issues”.
“While we are disappointed to be making these changes and reducing services, our priority is keeping people moving,” he said.
“We will continue to regularly review these changes in line with the current situation.”
On Thursday (6 January), 22 TransPennine trains were cancelled and another 15 were terminated before their planned destination.
Two passengers shared their recent experiences with TransPennine Express and the ongoing disruptions.
One stated that: “I frequently travel to and from Grimsby to see family and have had trains cancelled by TransPennine express on the last three occasions.
“I can understand staff shortages in the current climate but what is incredibly frustrating is the refusal of the company to issue refunds for connecting trains which cancellations occurring at short notice might have caused you to miss, or to have any kind of understanding about the impact this could have on people who might be travelling to funerals or in emergency situations. It simply isn’t good enough.”
Another shared: “I’ve been waiting for a train at Grimsby station, which has just been announced as cancelled three minutes after it was due to arrive. This is apparently due to an issue at Market Rasen, which is several stops away, so surely staff would have known to update passengers more than three minutes ago.
“When I asked station staff what had happened I was told that it was caused by a signal failure. Another staff member then said it was due to staff shortages. Nobody seems to know what is going on, and my journey has now been severely delayed.”
Hull Trains and London North Eastern Railway have also recently faced timetabling changes, as staff shortages lead to trains being cancelled.
(Image: TransPennine Express Trains)
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