The train operator has apologised for the "enormous amount of frustration and inconvenience". Passengers at King's Cross station faced further disruption on Wednesday. Read about our approach to external linking. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? Trains that did run were mostly limited to speeds of 90mph, down from 100mph or 125mph, while some had to travel as slow as 20mph. "On a semi-regular basis I'm getting home at nine o'clock at night," she added. Are you affected by issues covered in this story? West Midlands Railway has also said fewer trains are running. Damage to overhead wires means trains are being cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised. BBC News A train drivers' union has blamed an operating company for repeated rail cancellations, saying it does not employ enough staff. Chickens come home to roost and you do tend to get caught out if you don't have enough people.". Judging by reservations, it expects Thursday to be the busiest day of the week. His father was planning to stay with him because Rob's brother needed to self-isolate at their father's house in Bournemouth after arriving in the UK from Thailand. "It's a scandal really that whole days' worth of trains are being cancelled, which is so disruptive to people's lives and livelihoods - not to mention pushing more people into cars with all the issues that then brings," he said. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? Passengers await further information at St Pancras station. Chris Heaton-Harris said the issue had been found on part of the chassis - the base frame - of some trains on Saturday morning following routine inspections. BBC's EastEnders and Waterloo Road have been cancelled tonight, Tuesday January 17, as the channel is forced to reschedule due to airing a football match. It's hard to know whether the low passenger numbers are down to the restrictions on indoor gatherings - or potential passengers heeding warnings to stay away. Rail services across the country are being cancelled in the run-up to Christmas as rising numbers of staff fall ill with Covid. In 2022, 40% of scheduled rail and Underground services in London were either cancelled or delayed, analysis has revealed. She had planned to travel from there to Gatwick Airport for an overnight stay before a flight to France tomorrow. Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. Damage to overhead wires means trains are being cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or. Second highest was Govia Thameslink Railway - which runs Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express - at 6.5%. Lorraine McConnon was due to take a train from Aberdeen to London King's Cross this morning. ", She added: "Over this year I've had to have hotels because I've not been able to get home on the last train because it's been cancelled and lots of taxis. Read about our approach to external linking. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. At Birmingham New . Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, LNER, Scotrail and West Midlands Railway have all reported cancellations. It added that while it was true that the Department for Transport now pays train operators a fee to run train services, that payment was performance-related. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. She is one of many facing disruption, with train cancellations at the highest level since records began in 2015. The affected routes are between London Kings Cross and Leeds, and London Kings Cross and Lincoln. A spokesman added that the issue is affecting long-distance journeys between cities, which are being refunded, but that suburban and rural GWR services are still running as normal. These aren't the only operators with staff problems. Read about our approach to external linking. They involved staff at Network Rail, which employs signalling workers across England, Scotland and Wales, as well as workers at 14 train companies. CrossCountry is also warning of train crew shortages and disruption. Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. The railway minister warned disruption was likely for a "prolonged period". Rail strike is cancelled - at the cost of paid sick leave 3 December 2022 Getty Images Rail workers are disappointed after their push for paid sick leave failed By Natalie Sherman Business. Great Western Railway, Hull Trains,. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? "At a moment when we were celebrating all these front-line workers, who were keeping the economy going at the risk of their own health, that we couldn't include paid sick days as a requirement in our Covid relief package - it was just shocking.". She said she took taxis to and from work which cost her more than 160. 12:36 Lauren Cole-Lomas All the trains cancelled from Woking between 12:30pm and 1:30pm 12:34 to Portsmouth Harbour - Cancelled 12:44 to London Waterloo - Cancelled 12:46 to Exeter St. They are handing out water and offering guidance to those whose plans have gone up in smoke. Infrastructure problems play a role too. TransPennine has also come under the spotlight for poor services, although it insists cancellation numbers have been reducing. However it urged customers to check for late-notice changes, saying as cases continue to rise, some short notice alterations may be required throughout the festive period. "In the meantime, please check National Rail Enquiries before you set off on your journey as delays will continue today.". Two of every five London trains disrupted in 2022. London Underground strike still on as rail strikes postponed, ScotRail services to be slashed despite RMT strike cancellation, Wales v New Zealand: Rail strike suspension too late, German police deny Greta's detainment was staged, Santos denies taking money from dying dog GoFundMe, Iran man who beheaded wife jailed for eight years, Mafia boss's second hideout found behind wardrobe, Maximum two drinks a week, Canada guidance advises, US town with no water using rain to flush toilets, Celebrities who say their children will get no inheritance, Heathrow beefs up security over cannabis arrests. Fox News Virginia mom details moments that reportedly led up to 6-year-old shooting teacher Abby Zwerner, the 25-year-old teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student on Friday, is described by fellow teachers, city officials as a hard-working educator devoted to her students. Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. ScotRail will only run a skeleton service on Saturday, with the rail operator warning of significant disruption to its services. The project budget increased to 3.25m, partly because more ambitious plans were drawn up, but also because of a delay over materials blamed on Brexit. Zelensky says fatal crash was consequence of war, New Zealand PM Ardern to step down next month, Arizona town with no water using rain to flush toilets. CrossCountry said its services between Nottingham (pictured) and Cardiff had been particularly affected, Several trains in a row have been cancelled on a number of days, Aslef said a lot of train companies did not employ enough drivers. BBC News Rail passengers are facing delays and cancellations across the UK after cracks were found on some high-speed trains during routine checks. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk, Government needs proper pay strategy to end healthcare strikes, says ex-NHS CEO, Crowds gather to see rapper Clavish at Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre, 'Violent disorder' at Sutton Coldfield College sees four teen arrests, Police increase patrols after schoolboy, 13, hurt in knife attack near Grand Central, Dudley issues renewed call for sites for development, WATCH: Motorists drive wrong way on Bassano Road, Blackheath, Zelensky says fatal crash was consequence of war, New Zealand PM Ardern to step down next month, Mass strikes in France bid to halt pension age rise. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. In January, CrossCountry blamed Covid infections for reduced services and cancellations, saying more than one in 10 staff were absent. She said plenty of people were waiting around on the concourse, as they tried to work out how and when they would be able to make their journeys. It offered a pay rise, an additional personal day and a few other benefits - but no paid sick leave. "It's clearly an area where we need federal protections," said Jennifer Pomeranz, a professor of public health at New York University, who has tracked the issue. "We understand the frustration caused and we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers and operators.". A rail strike by 40,000 RMT union members has caused four in five trains to be cancelled today as many people return to work after the Christmas break. Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Passenger numbers are currently only around 80% of pre-Covid levels - although they have been higher at some points recently. This is the latest strike in the long-running row over pay and. Govia Thameslink, which operates the Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern franchises, said it may also have to cancel services at short notice due to high numbers of staff off sick with Covid and other seasonal illnesses. The walkout was averted only after President Joe Biden and Congress intervened, forcing rail workers to accept the terms of a new contract. It had planned to take strike action at five train firms including Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains. Mr Shoveller said on Monday there will be "limited ability" to change the strike timetable. Overall, passenger numbers are now back up to 80% of the observed usage three years ago but, as rail users return, performance has slipped at many stations. "He's trying to keep away from people and so is a bit loathe to seek help from staff in person. Mr Montgomery's explanation was that Covid directly caused a backlog of driver training, which can take up to 18 months, and staff sickness levels are high. Just when you thought the trains in London couldn't get any worse, an astonishing 40 percent of scheduled rail and Underground services in the capital were cancelled or . The disruption to LNER trains means there will be limited to no service on the East Coast Main Line - between Edinburgh, Newcastle, York and London. The BBC approached Network Rail for comment. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "It just shocked me that they wanted us to use our paid time off and we would be off 10 or 14 days," said the 38-year-old, who is a community advocate for A Better Balance, an advocacy group, referring to the extended quarantines that were common at the start of the pandemic. Network Rail said: "On Sunday 15 January buses will replace ALL trains from Manchester Piccadilly . On the Tube alone, there are up to five million passenger journeys a day - at peak times, TfL said there were more than 543 Underground trains whizzing around the capital. Like roughly 30 million other Americans, the 45-year-old railroad worker doesn't have any paid sick leave and he didn't want to get punished for taking time off. "Paid sick leave at the national level is not even part of the conversation at this point," he said, adding that the rail contract otherwise is "very good for workers". Rob Taylor, who lives in Nottingham, said the cancellations had been a "nightmare" for him. Angie Doll, chief operating officer of GTR, said performance over the past year had been affected by the impact of Covid, short-term sickness, severe weather and increasing trespass incidents. Despite efforts to revive the issue, many Republicans were opposed to the principle of government-given "business mandates", and talks petered out. That figure stood at 7.6% a month ago. South Western Railway said it had only seen a small number of alterations this week, but was closely monitoring the impact of the new Omicron variant on staff availability. Read about our approach to external linking. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In Scotland, ScotRail reported more than a hundred cancellations on Monday. When Gabe Christenson started feeling run down a few years ago, he didn't go to the doctor. He added that there had been "the promise of an offer" on pay from the rail operating companies. Monday 16 January 2023. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? The government said it must "drastically improve". The trains have either been cancelled completely or terminated at Birmingham. 'One by one they have all been testing positive', ScotRail cancels 118 services as Covid spikes, Zelensky says fatal crash was consequence of war, New Zealand PM Ardern to step down next month, Arizona town with no water using rain to flush toilets. BBC News reporter Harry Low at London Paddington. It is still rebuilding services as more drivers are trained up, and says it's focused on restoring a full timetable in December. Emilia Fox returned. Train companies are preparing to introduce a new timetable on 11 December - although RMT strikes are planned in its first week. It has warned the problem could affect services on Sunday too. Mr Wolmar believes these contracts have resulted in less effort from managers to run a good service, and high sickness levels among staff who have gone over two years without a pay rise, are "really an expression of employee dissatisfaction". CrossCountry has apologised for its cancellations over. Train speed limits over heatwave track safety fears, Train passengers warned not to travel in heatwave, UN's top women meet Taliban over female aid worker ban, New Zealand PM Ardern to step down next month, Zelensky says fatal crash was consequence of war, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Power shift in Vietnam as president quits. Your device may not support this visualisation. Lorraine travelled from Aberdeen to Glasgow by car with the aim of catching a train to Edinburgh, but says she missed a train suggested by staff while she was talking to them. Train drivers at nine rail companies have announced a new strike in August as a dispute causing travel chaos across the country deepens. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. In a statement Tricia Williams, chief operating officer of Northern, apologised for disruption, putting it down to factors "including fully-trained driver availability and the on-going industrial relations issues with the trade unions". In total, 520,853 services were scheduled across Great Britain between 16 October and 12 November, 15% lower than the same time in 2019. He added there were about 1,000 carriages to deal with, so it would be "quite a considerable job". CrossCountry has apologised for its cancellations over recent weeks, saying they are due to "short-term sickness". Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Read about our approach to external linking. During the Covid crisis, the government moved train companies onto emergency contracts. Most trains will be cancelled in France on Thursday, with flights also affected and Paris' subway heavily disrupted, as part of a nationwide strike against the government's plan to make people. ': ' , 2002 Now, most train operators are paid on a performance-related fixed fee basis, and it is the government, that bears the financial risk - and holds the purse strings. However, the suspension is a significant development, as it is the first time in the RMT's long-running dispute that a strike has been called off to make further talks easier. Station staff were on hand, trying to help passengers with queries. It is advising passengers to travel as early as possible. Property damage. Trains are being cancelled and rail services disrupted after the UK recorded its hottest day on record. More than 90,000 tested positive for Covid in the UK on Monday, but the true number is. Avanti West Coast, which operates trains between London and Birmingham, Manchester, North Wales and Scotland, had the highest proportion of cancellations, at 8%. Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, London North Eastern Railway and TransPennine Express trains of the Hitachi 800 model were taken out of service for safety inspections. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. Read about our approach to external linking. James Dean, Network Rail's West Coast South route director, apologised to passengers impacted by the disruption. While he said he believed people should be able to take time off if sick, "the one-size-fits-all approach does not work on issues, especially on paid leave". Erik Loomis, a professor of labour history at the University of Rhode Island, said the Biden administration made a mistake not to take the issue more seriously as it worked to broker a deal between unions and railroads earlier this year. More than 90,000 tested positive for Covid in the UK on Monday, but the true number is thought to be much higher. Though 16 states have passed laws requiring paid sick leave over the last decade, one in five workers across the country still does not have access to the benefit, with low-wage workers most at risk. Earlier this month I spoke to Steve Montgomery, the boss of First Rail; parent of both TransPennine Express and Avanti. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "A lot of train companies tend to not employ enough train drivers. She doesn't drive and on strike days there were no trains running. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the threat of strike action "has made the rail employers see sense". 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