New train timetable shake-up a year after changes crippled network

Govia Thameslink Railway cancelled up to 470 trains each day following the timetable launch last May
PA Wire/PA Images
John Dunne @jhdunne8 March 2019

More train timetable changes are set to come into force on May 19 as more than 1,000 extra services are added in a bid to tackle overcrowding.

It comes a year after passengers faced chaos when the introduction of new schedules crippled large parts of the network in the north and south-east of England.

The Rail Delivery Group said it had “learned the lessons” from last year’s disruption and that new services were only being introduced where there was “high confidence” infrastructure, staffing plans and trains would be ready.

Chief executive of the body, Paul Plummer, said: “The scale of our ambition to improve means that this is a significant challenge and while there may be some teething problems, train operators and Network Rail have worked together to carefully assess where new services can be introduced without impacting reliability.

“Many parts of the country are set to benefit this summer from a better service, but where introducing improvements puts reliability at risk, we are rightly taking a more cautious approach.”

Following last May’s timetable launch, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Northern cancelled up to 470 and 310 trains respectively each day.

Train companies, government-owned infrastructure company Network Rail and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling have all been blamed for the chaos.

A review by Office of Rail and Road (ORR) chairman Professor Stephen Glaister called for the industry to improve how information is provided to passengers.

Earlier this year, a Commons report warned rail passengers faced “another difficult year” in 2019 amid more timetable changes and an increase in engineering work.

The Public Accounts Committee claimed there was still “a way to go” before Network Rail and train operating companies collaborated in a way that minimised disruption during infrastructure projects.

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