Passengers on one of the UK’s busiest inter-city rail routes face a prolonged period of disruption after the West Coast Main Line operator sharply cut services, blaming “severe” staff shortages.
Avanti West Coast, which provides services from London to cities in northern England and Scotland, said on Monday it would introduce an emergency timetable from August 14 until “further notice”. He also announced that he was temporarily suspending the sale of all tickets.
It will reduce services to four trains an hour from London to cities including Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The company normally operates seven an hour from London, including three to Manchester.
Avanti blamed the disruption on “the current climate of industrial relations” in the rail industry, which has been hit by a series of national pay strikes, possible job losses and changes in working practices.
The operator, in which UK’s FirstGroup holds 70 percent and Italian state rail company Trenitalia 30 percent, said it had been hit by “severe staff shortages” due to increased sickness. He blamed “unofficial strike action” with fewer drivers registering to work on their days off in recent weeks.
The rail operator’s timetable is heavily dependent on staff agreeing to work weekends, with around 400 trains a week operated by overtime drivers. That number has dropped to just 50 trains in recent weeks, leading to significant service disruptions, it said.
The claim that the refusal to work overtime amounted to an “unofficial strike” angered the unions. Aslef, the drivers’ union, said the claim was a “lie” and that Avanti was not employing enough drivers. Its members are due to strike on Saturdays in a row over the pay of nine train operators, including Avanti.
But union officials said its members had taken no other strike action and that the work days off were entirely voluntary.
The RMT union, which is in dispute with Network Rail, the operator of the UK’s rail network, as well as most train operators, has called for a meeting with Grant Shapps, the UK transport secretary, about the Avanti situation.
“Avanti is falsely and disgracefully making claims that this decision is due to informal industrial action, when the reality is that this decision stems from poor management, downsizing and low staff morale,” said Mick Lynch, leader of the RMT.
Clive Ratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, said Avanti’s move to a reduced schedule would “cause significant harm to business travellers”, adding: “It will force people into cars and planes as they look for alternative arrangements’.
Avanti admitted the disruption would cause “huge disappointment and inconvenience”, but said the new reduced timetable would allow customers to travel “with greater security”.
The government has been approached for comment.
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