CrossCountry will be amending and revising some of its train services in the west and south-west of England and south Wales.

From Saturday 10 August to Saturday 9 November 2024, CrossCountry trains that have suffered from regular late running or services that have been regularly cancelled on the day at the last minute, will no longer run, as the TOC addresses its current performance issues.

The extended industrial action within the rail industry has resulted in an inability to address the accumulation of essential training days for new and existing train drivers, who need to be assessed regularly to ensure they are still fit to drive services on the national rail network.

This backlog started during the COVID-19 pandemic, when social distancing measures limited the possibility of conducting training and supervision in the classrooms and on the trains themselves.

By reducing services on certain routes for a 13-week period and supplementing other services with additional carriages, the CrossCountry network aims to maintain maximum passenger capacity while completing a substantial amount of the required driver training.

Implementing a temporary timetable will lessen the number of on-the-day cancellations, which are highly inconvenient for passengers.

During the Easter period earlier this year, CrossCountry also utilised a similar tactic, resulting in a 94% decrease in such 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.

The temporary timetable includes only minor changes to services between Manchester Piccadilly and Bristol Temple Meads, while all services to and from Penzance will continue as scheduled.

Direct services from Reading to the North East will also be reduced, and passengers will have the option to transfer at Birmingham New Street to proceed with their journey using other train companies’ services.

The Cardiff to Nottingham route will operate approximately two-thirds of its current services, with certain services starting or terminating at alternate stations.

The trial that resulted in the removal of some station stops at Winchester and Basingstoke is scheduled to conclude in September.

“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.”

Bethan Jelfs, CrossCountry’s Regional Director for West and Wales

Customers holding tickets for services affected by the temporary timetable changes have the option to travel on an alternative service or to request a full refund. More details are available on the CrossCountry Trains website under the temporary timetable section. www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-updates-information/temporary-timetable.

Passengers are encouraged to verify their journey details before travelling by consulting the CrossCountry website or app, or through National Rail Enquiries.