Northern Rail has warned passengers that services in the North West are subject to disruption and short notice cancellations.
The rail operator, which runs a number of services across the Liverpool City Region, said that it has seen a number of cancellations since it last changed its timetable in May 2022. It says that there are a number of factors behind the disruption, citing staff sickness and industrial relations issues.
Despite the issues that it is facing, Northern is not reducing its timetable, unlike Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express. The two train companies, which both run services from Liverpool Lime Street, are using amended timetables, which have led to difficulties for customers.
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When approached for comment, Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, told the ECHO : “We have not reduced services, but regrettably, we are seeing a number of short notice cancellations across the North West since the May 2022 timetable change. This is due to a number of factors, including higher levels of staff sickness - and of course, the ongoing and high-profile industrial relations issues with the trade unions have their own impact.”
Strikes have hit train services several times so far this year. Members of ASLEF, the trade union representing 96% of drivers in England, Scotland and Wales, have voted to take action once more, with two more days of action announced.
Northern will be among the companies affected when drivers walk out on the newly-planned strike days on Saturday, October 1 and Wednesday, October 5. Regarding the latest strike dates, Northern's website says: "We are aware of strikes announced for 1 and 5 October, more travel details will be available shortly. Be aware of other strikes across the network, and with other train providers."
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