An outbreak of coronavirus amongst railway staff could see passengers facing disruption over the Christmas period.
Great Western Railway said one in four Plymouth-based train drivers who were supposed to be working over Christmas are either ill or self isolating after coming into contact with a colleague who tested positive. More than 50 staff are out of action overall – 10 per cent of staff based in Devon and Cornwall.
The company, whose routes include London Paddington to south Wales, has already started making cancellations. Passengers are being moved to alternative services where possible.
Bosses have reportedly been holiday crisis talks amid fears that the number of staff missing over Christmas could rise further as more contacts are identified.
Sir Peter Hendy, the Christmas transport tsar, said passengers making new bookings with GWR would be prompted to use coach services instead.
"GWR are not currently anticipating being able to run the service that they thought that they would,'" he told MPs on Wednesday.
"'That's a consequence of the transport industry not having an unlimited supply of people. There still will be some trains but they are right not to book people on trains they don't think they will have any drivers for."
The company has been urging passengers to book early and had warned that Network Rail engineering work in the Bristol area may affect the normal timetabled service between Christmas and the beginning of January.
All customers asked to check the details of their journey before travelling.
They company has said: "GWR has been providing rail services throughout the pandemic and has worked to ensure that these are as safe as possible. This includes increased cleaning regimes and the use of a virucidal spray; extra staff at key stations to offer help and guidance; and processes in place to help customers maintain a safe distance where possible, such as restricting the number of reservations available."
