Train timetable revamp takes effect with more services promised
The renewal of train schedules, which includes some of the most significant changes in more than seven years, has come into force across the country.
Rail operators are promising more services across the network and faster journeys on some routes as a result of the changes, with the East Coast Main Line set to benefit the most.
Passengers are advised to check new timetables before travelling.
This level of change has not been seen since May 2018, when an update caused major disruptions and cancellations on some routes.
Railway timetables are changed every May and December, but rarely to this degree.
Network Rail is promising faster journeys and thousands of extra seats every day following a £4bn investment over the past decade.
The changes promise to cut the journey time between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh by 15 minutes, and the journey time between Edinburgh and York by 10 minutes.
Network Rail says the rail line, used by a range of operators, will improve connectivity between Scotland, the North East, England, Yorkshire and London.
LNER, one of the companies using the line, described the changes as “transformative” and said it expected to provide 10,000 additional services a year.
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s Eastern regional managing director, said: “The industry has been preparing for the new timetable for many years.
“Our priority now is to continue working together to deliver the long-term benefits of this fare change, the largest in more than a decade, for our passengers and the communities we serve.”
The changes will also see Northern launch a new hourly express service between Leeds and Sheffield.
Transport for Wales offers further services to Chester, Wrexham and Swansea.
Another operator, Avanti, says there will be more train services between London and Liverpool.
However, there will be cuts on some routes. Avanti Reducing the number of services between Blackpool and London from four to two.
The changes are the biggest since May 2018. A timetable update has caused weeks of chaos on the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Northern networks.
The number of trains canceled every day by GTR and Northern increased to 470 and 310 respectively.
This led to a full review and eventually the Labor government’s decision to establish Great British Railways and bring the industry under state control.
“He’s pretty confident we won’t see a complete collapse of the network like we did when the Thameslink line’s timetable was completely restructured in 2018 – it was complete disarray,” said travel expert Simon Calder.
“A lot of thought and time has gone into this issue and the whole aim is to extract the maximum possible capacity from Britain’s Victoria rail network without compromising reliability.”
Rail industry expert Tony Miles told the BBC’s Broadcasting House program that the changes in May 2018 were “based on using every available slot for a train on the network and that was the mistake”.
“You need to have some leeway” when things go wrong, he added.
But Mr Miles said Monday morning would be the “real challenge” for the new system.
“Frankly, Sunday morning services are not as stressful for the system as they are during weekday peak hours.”
