Railway speed restrictions were brought in across most of England and Wales, with reports of buckled tracks and overheard wire systems failing on Monday. They disputed claims by workers that managers are increasingly rejecting such requests, as staffing levels have fallen. Read about our approach to external linking. 2023 BBC. Reuters. Rob Taylor, who lives in Nottingham, said the cancellations had been a "nightmare" for him. Damage to overhead wires means trains are being cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised. 09:49, 17 JAN 2023 BBC Breakfast star Nina Warhurst announces new 'official title' after change BBC Breakfast star Nina Warhurst has announced her new "official title" after a name change. "We understand the frustration caused and we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers and operators.". Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? Some passengers arrived unaware that anything had gone wrong while others had allowed plenty of extra time in a bid to still make their journey by rail. The affected routes are between London Kings Cross and Leeds, and London Kings Cross and Lincoln. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. ScotRail will only run a skeleton service on Saturday, with the rail operator warning of significant disruption to its services. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. During the Covid crisis, the government moved train companies onto emergency contracts. "I started doing some work in Cardiff a few months ago, so have been trying to get the direct train on at least eight occasions," he said. It said there could be short-notice cancellations. In 2022, for the whole city, there were nearly 25 million scheduled rail and Tube stops in total (not including the Elizabeth line). "Emotionally it's exhausting, to constantly have to look at the train times every single day. "Delay repay is about 6. 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. 2023 BBC. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, said: "We totally reject any suggestion that the replacement of franchises with contracts during the pandemic is adversely affecting performance.". It has removed all peak restrictions over Christmas, to try to spread out demand. Passengers have been advised to check train operators' websites before travelling. The strikes, planned for 5, 7 and 9 November, had been called in a dispute over pay and conditions. Added to this, reliance on drivers agreeing to work on days off - which has been common in the industry for decades - has left some operators exposed during a period of strained industrial relations. He added that calling off the latest ones has given negotiations between unions and employers a "better chance of success". This is the latest strike in the long-running row over pay and. It said staff were also taking time off after receiving booster jabs. But Mr Wolmar said he believed there was more to the recent problems, with a "perfect storm" of factors. London Waterloo had 388,000 planned rail and Tube stops on services to and from the station in 2022; in 2021 it was 395,00 and in 2019 that number was 477,000. He said there were some areas in which there could be "commonality" between the two parties on workforce reform. When dogs in Alaska wait for the bus Video, Train strikes to go ahead after pay offer rejected, London remains world's most congested city - report, Parts of Tube's Central line gets 4G phone signal, 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. She hopes to catch a ScotRail train but fears it could now take "up to four changes" before she gets to Gatwick. Avanti said on Friday it would not reinstate services on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. In the past week 5.2% of trains were cancelled, versus an average of 2.9%, according to the Rail Delivery Group. Though the increase may sound small, train operators only have limited contingencies for absences before they have to start cancelling services. It'll pay a quarter of your train ticket so it doesn't cover anything.". A spokesperson for LNER said services were being reduced as a result of an increase in the number of our staff self-isolating due to Covid. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. BritBox original Magpie Murders has found a new home at the BBC, which will also make a sequel series Moonflower Murders. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. In January, CrossCountry blamed Covid infections for reduced services and cancellations, saying more than one in 10 staff were absent. Read about our approach to external linking. Erica, a single mum of three, said she left a job she loved in 2020 - working as a paediatric nurse in an emergency room in Tennessee - to work for a rival hospital that offered paid sick leave, in addition to other time off. 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 said that employing more drivers would "cost money" and "would go into their profit margins". The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, said that it was "positive" that the RMT had "stepped back from the brink". 2023 BBC. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "And that opinion comes not just from me as a railway watcher but from a lot of the senior railway people I talk to.". Judging by reservations, it expects Thursday to be the busiest day of the week. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? We're doing everything we can to get things back up and running. It offered a pay rise, an additional personal day and a few other benefits - but no paid sick leave. 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 said the operator had a plan in place to make improvements, and was working with Network Rail to improve reliability. Rail companies say the RMT announcement came too late to prevent disruption and a temporary revised timetable for Saturday, Sunday and Monday will remain in place. Sick leave is a major sticking point not just for rail union members. BBC News reporter Harry Low at London Paddington. 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. They are handing out water and offering guidance to those whose plans have gone up in smoke. It acknowledged that the national dispute involving three rail unions had caused severe disruption and on cancellations it said "the industry is working hard to cope with an unprecedented convergence of issues". She had planned to travel from there to Gatwick Airport for an overnight stay before a flight to France tomorrow. Read about our approach to external linking. Meanwhile, the future of how the railway is run is now uncertain, after the creation of a new umbrella body called "Great British Railways", was delayed. Network Rail warned that services. "On a semi-regular basis I'm getting home at nine o'clock at night," she added. James Dean, Network Rail's West Coast South route director, apologised to passengers impacted by the disruption. When trains are running, Ms Blackburn said they are often crowded and strikes have added extra stress and expense. Transpennine hasn't had a rest day working agreement in place with Aslef for nearly a year. Network Rail urged passengers to check before they started their journeys and only to travel if absolutely necessary. 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. Avanti has come in for particular criticism for severe disruption in July, and then slashing its timetable in August. "Nobody out here will tell you that they don't want to work - we're all out here to make money. "People are scared for their jobs .We need protection.". "I won't be fully relaxed until we're in the stadium," said Mr Ellis. Read about our approach to external linking. It has removed all peak restrictions over Christmas, to try to spread out demand. Rail services across the country are being cancelled in the run-up to Christmas as rising numbers of staff fall ill with Covid. That figure stood at 7.6% a month ago. 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. The picture at Leeds station was better, with 61% arriving on time. Chickens come home to roost and you do tend to get caught out if you don't have enough people.". What happened in the Ukraine helicopter crash? The persistent disruption in recent months has prompted outcry from commuters, leisure travellers, politicians and business groups, particularly in the North of England. Generally, from April 2020 there were reductions in both planned services and the number of passengers than was the case before the pandemic, the latest report from the Office for Road and Rail said. Read about our approach to external linking. This year I've had to spend 160 one day just to get here because it was a busy day for taxis so it was 160 here and back. We are always looking at ways to minimise these incidents whenever we can. Train strikes: What are the dates and which lines are affected? Author and rail historian Christian Wolmar says despite a stronger "general feeling of rail malaise" in the north of England, with trains statistically worse performing, often the impact of disruption in the capital was greater. The 52-year-old documentary-maker shared pictures showing how his stubble has changed. He wrote: "So this is what my beard grows like. In 2020, Congress passed a temporary law requiring most companies to offer two weeks of paid sick leave to staff forced to quarantine due to Covid-19. What happened in the Ukraine helicopter crash? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? Rail Minister Huw Merriman said he did not want to "rule anything in or out" when asked if the government would put more money on the table to help resolve the dispute. The operator is advising customers not to travel on Saturday or Sunday. In Scotland, ScotRail reported more than a hundred cancellations on Monday. TransPennine has also come under the spotlight for poor services, although it insists cancellation numbers have been reducing. 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. It follows severe travel disruption on Tuesday, with most journeys scrapped through the Met Office's extreme heat zone, which covered much of central, northern, and south-east England. It added that the renewal of this part of the network should reduce the drainage and flooding problems that can lead to signalling and power failures, the root cause of many train cancellations. 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. TfL said that major works were taking place on a 20-mile stretch between Euston and Watford Junction. BBC star Louis shared a snap of the beard loss on Instagram. At the UK busiest station, Waterloo, 76% of trains arrived on time; Victoria had 72% arrive on time, London Bridge had 62%, Liverpool Street had 86% and Clapham Junction 60%. Tim Shoveller, Network Rail's chief negotiator, said the company is looking forward to "getting back round the table with all our trades unions early next week to see if the progress made this week can be built on, and a resolution found". But that expired at the end of the year and firms quickly trimmed the benefits. The outcome has outraged thousands of workers who had hoped for more support from a political party and a president who had campaigned on the promise of passing national sick leave and supporting unions. Another operator, West Midlands Trains, has also blamed the pandemic for a delay in training new drivers. Last month, six of the trains were taken out of service by GWR after hairline cracks were found in the suspension system during routine maintenance. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. "This is of course an essential journey for me or I wouldn't have booked," she says. A spokesperson for LNER said services were being reduced as a result of an increase in the number of our staff self-isolating due to Covid. Passengers will be hoping this change ushers in more reliability. Passenger numbers are currently only around 80% of pre-Covid levels - although they have been higher at some points recently. 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. All high-speed Great Western Railway services between London, Bristol, Cardiff and Penzance have been cancelled and customers are advised not to attempt to travel today. How has your train journey been affected? National Rail Enquiries warned disruption was expected until the end of the day. Passengers are being warned of extensive disruption to train services on Saturday despite a series of strikes by railway workers being called off. Newly released data from the Office of Road and Rail shows 3.8% of trains in Great Britain have been cancelled in the year up to 12 November - or one in every 26. Second highest was Govia Thameslink Railway - which runs Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express - at 6.5%. "Here Biden is supposed to be this super pro-labour president and Amtrak Joe and everything like that," he said, referring to a nickname given to the president for his fondness of riding the national passenger rail. It said it was working as "quickly and safely as possible" to investigate the issue with the remainder of the fleets. Hitachi said: "Safety is our number one priority and as a precaution, the decision was taken to halt the entry into service of our intercity fleets pending inspection. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said suspending the strike action was "a positive development for passengers up and down the country". When dogs in Alaska wait for the bus Video, German police deny Greta's detainment was staged, Iran man who beheaded wife jailed for eight years, Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, Mafia boss's second hideout found behind wardrobe, City asks Madonna if it can borrow her painting, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Santos denies taking money from dying dog GoFundMe, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser. "You're coming to work to make money and you can spend more than your day's wage to get home.". Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, LNER, Scotrail and West Midlands Railway have all reported cancellations. A train drivers' union has blamed an operating company for repeated rail cancellations, saying it does not employ enough staff. London Kings Cross and Lincoln than your day 's wage to get home. `` come under spotlight! A plan in place to make money and bbc news trains cancelled do tend to get home. `` day working in... 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