The next TransPennine Express train could be a bus, rail passengers told

Anglo-Scottish train operator blames ‘sustained high levels of sickness and a training backlog’ for schedule cuts

Rare sight? TransPennine Express train near Lancaster on the West Coast main line (TransPennine Express)

Another train firm on the West Coast main line from Glasgow and Edinburgh to northwest England has announced an emergency reduced timetable.

From Monday 12 September, TransPennine Express is taking nine Anglo-Scottish trains a day out of the schedule, mainly between Glasgow Central and Manchester airport.

As a result, travellers between Scotland’s Central Belt and Carlisle could find themselves on rail replacement buses.

The train operator says: “The changes are being made to provide a more stable and reliable service following recent disruption caused by a range of issues including sustained high levels of sickness and a training backlog as a direct result of Covid.

“Combined, these factors have seen a number of on-the-day or ‘evening before’ cancellations being made. Such cancellations are expected to be significantly reduced under this temporary amended timetable.”

The same factors were blamed by Avanti West Coast when it introduced a sharply reduced timetable, which has curtailed the number of trains between Scotland and London.

The train operator said: “We are finalising arrangements to put in rail replacement buses at certain times of the day to provide additional connectivity for stations between Motherwell-Carlisle, Penrith-Lockerbie, Edinburgh-Carlisle and Carlisle- Lockerbie to supplement rail services, where possible, for those customers whose regular journey option via train is impacted.”

TransPennine Express is asking Avanti West Coast to make extra calls where possible to fill in long gaps in the timetable on Saturdays. It says the move “would cater for Penrith and Lockerbie customers on Saturdays which would represent an improvement over the current levels of service”.

Passengers who have Advance tickets for trains that are cancelled can travel on the service before or after the booked departure, or claim a full refund.

Services will be severely affected by the next two national rail strikes, on 15 and 17 September.

The train operator is warning prospective travellers to “seek alternative transport and only travel if journeys are absolutely essential”.