Rail operators ramp up services following passenger demand increase
Rail operators Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway are set to ramp up services as passenger demand is coming back post Omicron.
Avanti West Coast’s services between London Euston, Manchester and Birmingham will double from tomorrow, with managing director Phil Whittingham saying the company “remains committed to supporting the ongoing recovery of our economy.”
“We will continue to monitor demand and work with governments and industry partners to ensure we strike the right balance between connectivity and value for money for taxpayers,” he told PA news agency.
On top of reintroducing 33 regional routes – including Crewe-Derby, Nottingham-Matlock – East Midlands Railway will bring back its full intercity timetable from tomorrow, ramping up services between London St Pancras and Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
“This is a positive step in the right direction and is made possible by the continued decline in Covid-related staff absences and the resolution of industrial disputes,” said Paul Barnfield, East Midlands Railway’s operations director.
Both companies were forced between December and January to drastically cut services as a result of the impact of Omicron on both passenger numbers and staff levels, CityAM reported.
According to data, staff shortages, strike actions and declining passenger numbers caused a 4.4 per cent slump in services across the country between December and January – one of the worst cancellation periods ever.
To appease angry commuters following the removal of the ‘work from home’ order, transport secretary Grant Shapps promised earlier this month ‘big improvements’ in railway timetables.
“In the next couple of weeks we should start to see big improvements,” he said on 4 February. “Of course, we’re timing that alongside the fact that not everyone is back to work yet but we’re starting to see big increases in the number of people travelling.”
Provisional Department for Transport figures show that journeys are back to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.