Transport for Wales (TfW) has announced there will be yet more cuts to its services in the coming weeks due to “a significant increase in staff absences” as a result of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
In the run-up to Christmas, the train operator announced an emergency rail timetable which came into effect on December 22. The new schedule saw a 10-15% reduction to the standard timetable in a bid to reduce short-notice cancellations wherever possible.
However, just days after that emergency timetable was put in place, further cuts are now being made, as TfW admit that the number of staff off work continues to grow.
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The company said a further reduction of 10-15% will now be introduced from Monday (January 3), a decision that’s been made in order to “provide a reliable service throughout this latest stage of the pandemic”.
The new timetable is expected to be in place for a number of weeks and will be reviewed regularly as rail bosses continue to monitor the impact of the Omicron variant in Wales. Focus will be put on parts of the network that are suffering from particularly high staff absences, and TfW insist the reduction to its service is in line with similar moves taken by other rail operators across the UK as infection rates continue to rise.
Rail passengers Wales over the coming weeks have been asked to check online before they travel and to follow the latest guidance from the Welsh Government.
“We are very much dealing with the Omicron wave of Covid infections and, like many public service organisations, have seen a major rise in colleague absences over the last few weeks,” said Jan Chaudhry-Van de Velde, managing director of TfW Rail.
“It’s fundamental we continue to run as reliable a service as possible for our customers and therefore we are introducing a revised timetable from 3 January, reducing the risk of late notice cancellations.
"Wherever we can, we’ll use additional carriages made available due to the reduced timetable to run longer trains, which will help with social distancing. We’ll also provide supplementary road transport, where possible.
“We appreciate this will be frustrating for some customers, and we have not taken this decision lightly. We ask that all customers check online before they travel and follow current government advice. Our aim is to restore the timetable as soon as absence rates caused by this wave of the pandemic allow.”
Customers who have already purchased tickets for services affected by the timetable changes will be able to request a refund by visiting www.tfw.wales, or use their tickets on alternative TfW rail services.
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