TransPennine axes weekend services due to staff sickness

Rail commuters face further disruption this weekend with a range of cancelled services due to staff sickness.

TransPennine Express (TPE), which operates across northern England and Scotland, said the issue would mean reduced services on both days.

It comes after the company's services were decimated due to strikes over job cuts, pay and conditions last week.

TPE urged passengers to avoid non-essential travel and acknowledged it was "frustrating" for those travelling.

Thousands of members of the RMT union, who work for 13 train companies including TPE, walked out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as part of a dispute over job cuts, pay and conditions.

Millions of passengers faced journeys hours longer than usual and surging road traffic at the start of the largest rail strike in decades.

Half of the rail network was closed on strike days, while the knock-on impact meant services were also disrupted on the following days.

Transpennine Express said 10% of its services operated during the strike days.

There were also delays and cancellations over the jubilee bank holiday weekend due to a walkout of a number of conductors in a long-running dispute over pay.

TPE said the latest problems would reduce services on Saturday and Sunday.

A spokeswoman said: "We know this is frustrating news for our customers, and we are sorry for the impact it will have on people's plans."

The company advised customers to only travel if absolutely necessary and added that bicycles would be banned from services to free up room.

Passengers have been advised to check the TPE website and allow extra time for journeys.

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