Time: 2024-07-15
Hundreds of Sunday trains have been cancelled across Britain as staff exercise their right not to work overtime on the day of the UEFA Euro 2024 final . The leading intercity operator , GWR , is warning passengers about the expected disruptions caused by sickness and England reaching the final of the Euros , which could reduce the number of available colleagues for overtime shifts . National Rail is advising passengers to avoid traveling after 6 pm on the Great Western line linking London Paddington with South Wales and the West of England.
GWR is anticipating a significant number of cancellations , potentially resulting in a train every two hours on core lines connecting London with Bristol . On affected routes , where trains are operational , they are expected to be very crowded . Train operators heavily rely on volunteers working overtime to maintain their full schedule . Northern has issued a Do Not Travel notice on six lines in northwest England , with warnings of additional last - minute cancellations on other routes due to higher levels of staff sickness.
The ongoing industrial relations issues and reliance on voluntary working have contributed to disruptions on multiple train services across the country . LNER has had to cancel over 20 intercity trains on Sunday due to a shortage of train crew , leading to overcrowded trains and delays . Passengers are being offered the option to defer their journey to the following day . The transport secretary , Louise Haigh , highlighted the urgent need to address workforce strategy issues to prioritize passenger service.
Publicly - owned train operators like Northern and LNER have been impacted by the lack of available train crew for overtime and rest day working . The situation has prompted discussions about the need to reset workforce relations and ensure service reliability for customers . The issue of voluntary overtime and rest day working has been a long - standing challenge in the rail industry , leading to disruptions during significant events like the UEFA Euro 2024 final.
The scarcity of train drivers has raised concerns about the efficiency of privatised train companies and their ability to deliver promised services to passengers . The government is considering bringing the railways back into public ownership to ensure they are run as a public service rather than for private profit . The Labour party has pledged to bring all train services in England under public ownership as contracts expire , aiming to address the ongoing challenges faced by the rail industry.
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