The Manchester – Birmingham rail timetable has changed due to training delays

CrossCountry has announced it will introduce temporary resource-driven cuts next month. The reductions, from August 10 to November 9, will allow the train operator time to address performance and reliability issues that have plagued passengers in the past with same-day cancellations.

Due to prolonged industrial action in the rail industry, it has not been possible to meet the critical number of training days required by train drivers accumulated during the Covid19 pandemic.

Despite the 13-week reduction period, services will be reinforced with extra carriages when possible and will retain maximum passenger capacity on the CrossCountry network while their drivers work through the necessary training.

READ THE FOLLOWING: The MP has released a new statement in light of footage of the GMP incident at Manchester Airport

The temporary timetable will also reduce the number of cancellations on the day, after a similar approach which was tried at Easter reduced such cancellations by 94%.

CrossCountry aims to have better trained drivers, able to work and have reduced training delays by the end of the reduced period to enable them to provide a more reliable service to customers with fewer cancellations.

Additional trains will call at Wilnecote and Willington to balance the impact of the temporary timetable on customers using these stations.

There will be minimal changes to services from Manchester Piccadilly to Birmingham New Street, although some services may terminate at various stations beyond Birmingham while the temporary timetable is in operation.

Georgia Ehrmann, CrossCountry Regional Director for the West Midlands and North West, said: “Removing services from our program is always a last resort. I’m sorry for the inconvenience this will cause our customers and want to thank them for their patience while these changes are in place.”

“This is a difficult decision, but by taking proactive steps now we are investing in building a more resilient and reliable service for CrossCountry customers for the future.”

Customers who have tickets for this affected period can request a full refund or travel on an alternative service.