South Western Railway apologised for any disruption
(Picture: PA Archive)A difficult day’s travel got worse for some South Western Railway [SWR] customers when a shortage of bus drivers led to “gaps in the timetable” for replacement services.
Planned engineering works on Sunday affected journeys through west London and Surrey. But SWR warned it may not be able to provide the equivalent number of buses for the number of trains that were cancelled due to “national shortages” of drivers.
A tweet released by the company on Friday read: “Customers travelling in London and Surrey on Sunday this weekend should be aware that, due to the national shortage of bus drivers, there may be occasional gaps in rail replacement bus services for routes with engineering works. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
🚧 Planned engineering works are taking place on the South Western Railway network this weekend, Saturday 03 and Sunday 04 December.
— SWR Help (@SW_Help) December 2, 2022
More information here👇https://t.co/HvTBd6DyaU pic.twitter.com/4b0LWA5gkO
A Twitter user called CCity replied: “When will all the different pre-apocalypses end so we can get to the actual apocalypse?”
In a statement on its website, SWR said that engineering works are planned long in advance and cannot be called off - even with a lack of bus drivers.
A spokesman added: “The shortage of bus drivers is a national issue and the message that went out on Friday 2 December was a general warning to customers in London and Surrey that they may experience delays, it did not relate to specific rail replacement services”
South Western Railway was approached for further comment.
