TransPennine: Under-pressure Rail Firm To Run Reduced Timetable

Rail services in parts of northern England and Scotland are being reduced due to high levels of staff sickness and a backlog in training.

TransPennine Express is introducing a temporary timetable with fewer connection along the West Coast Mainline from 12 September.

The firm said it would "provide more stability and certainty for customers".

Services in Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Lancaster, Edinburgh and Glasgow will be affected.

Nine services are being withdrawn and eight partially withdrawn with full details available on the operator's website.

The timetable changes follow months of disruption for passengers with services being cancelled due to sickness, Covid and ongoing national rail strike action.

Jerry Farquharson, service planning and performance director, apologised for "ongoing issues" and said a "combination of factors has put unprecedented pressure on our ability to operate a consistent service".

"This temporary amended timetable for our services between the North West of England and Scotland will help us provide more stability and certainty for customers travelling on this route," he said.

"We have put in place measures to communicate this revised timetable to any affected customers and believe that by bringing this timetable in we will help customers have more confidence and certainty."

The timetable will be introduced three days before planned strike action by Aslef union train drivers at 12 rail companies, who will walk out in a row over pay on 15 September.

This Aslef action coincides with a walk out by the RMT union, which announced this week that rail workers would take part in more strikes on 15 and 17 September in a long-running dispute over pay, roles and conditions.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk