LNER cancelled at least 13 trains between London and destinations in the north of England and Scotland due to a "short notice change in the timetable" and hinted more could follow in the coming days.
The operator, which runs trains on the East Coast Mainline connecting Berwick, Alnmouth, Newcastle, Durham and Darlington to Edinburgh and London, apologised to customers for the cancellations.
LNER did not give any specific reason for the changes to the timetable but suggested more could follow in "upcoming days" in a statement to ChronicleLive.
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It said: “We apologise to our customers for some short-notice changes to our services today, and are looking at the upcoming days. Customers are advised to check before they travel and book a seat in advance. LNER is proactively contacting customers who have booked direct and whose journeys may be affected. The latest information can be found at lner.co.uk, the LNER app or via social media channels.”
The following services were cancelled on Tuesday September 6:
- 0600 Berwick to Kings Cross
- 0605 Leeds to Kings Cross
- 0708 Middlesbrough to Kings Cross
- 0930 Edinburgh to Kings Cross
- 1202 York to Kings Cross
- 1630 Edinburgh to Kings Cross
- 0906 Kings Cross to York
- 1100 Kings Cross to Edinburgh
- 1500 Kings Cross to Stirling
- 1525 Kings Cross to Middlesbrough
- 1818 Kings Cross to Newcastle
- 1903 Kings Cross to Leeds
- 2200 Kings Cross to Newcastle
When asked if more trains will be cancelled, the spokesman repeated advice for customers to check its website and social media pages before travel.
The same services were scheduled to run on Wednesday September 7 when ChronicleLive checked with National Rail Enquiries, but LNER's statement warned further cuts could happen.
Rival firms TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast have introduced long-term timetable service cuts. TransPennine Express (TPE) said it will reduce the number of planned trains between north-west England and Scotland by 23% from Monday. Avanti West Coast has operated fewer than half of its normal services since August 14.
TPE, owned by FirstGroup, told passengers the disruption is being caused by “higher than normal sickness levels and ongoing industrial relations issues”.
The company’s service planning and performance director, Jerry Farquharson, said: “Our customers want reliable and punctual train services, and we are sorry that we have not been able to provide that due to the ongoing issues.
“In normal circumstances, we have enough people to fully operate our scheduled timetable; however, the 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.
“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 in the delivery of our services.”
TPE’s conductors who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union have been involved in a long-running dispute over pay.
The company’s train drivers who are in the Aslef union will join those from 11 other operators in striking on September 15, also in a row about pay.
Avanti West Coast blamed the need for its reduction in services on “unofficial strike action” by drivers.
The operator said it normally runs around 400 trains per week with drivers voluntarily working on their rest days – for extra pay – but that “dropped suddenly to fewer than 50”.
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