Travellers face a 'weekend of misery' as under-fire rail firm Avanti West Coat issued a 'do not travel warning' and slashed services. "It's going to be a nightmare", said one fed-up passenger as she waited to catch a train at sun-soaked Manchester Piccadilly.
The major station was packed, brimming with commuters clutching suitcases and backpacks. Some were off on long weekend breaks, with others rushing to meet their train for work. It is a far cry from the scenes the M.E.N reported back in June, when the first round of rail strikes hit the network up and down the country and over 50,000 members of train staff walked out in a row over pay.
But from this weekend disruption is set to ramp up once more after Avanti West Coast announced it will be slashing its timetables and suspending ticket sales due to 'unofficial strike action' by drivers. The under-fire rail firm has issued a 'do not travel warning' for Saturday and will run as few as four trains per hour from Sunday in an attempt to halt the short-notice cancellations which have plagued its operations.
