Rail passengers travelling from Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington are being warned to check travel times due to staff shortages. Great Western Railway (GWR) has cancelled some trains and is running an amended timetable today, October 20, which will significantly impact journeys.
The train operator says services that are still running will be ‘extremely busy’ and journey times will ‘likely’ be longer. For those who have pre-booked tickets, GWR is offering customers the opportunity to travel instead tomorrow, October 21, or next weekend between October 26 and 27, when the tickets will be valid.
Full refunds are also available online from its website. Among the trains not running this morning are the 10am and 11am services.
In a tweet, it said: “A shortage of train crew members means we are having to some services between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington on Sunday, October 20. Timetables and journey planners have now been updated and reflect the latest information about tomorrows services.
“Tickets for the affected trains will be valid on other services throughout the day. However, we expect the services that do run between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington and South Wales and London Paddington will be extremely busy and are likely to take longer than normal.
“As a result, we know some customers may prefer to change their plans and postpone their journeys. To enable this, your ticket will also be valid on GWR services on Monday, October 21, or over the weekend October 26 to 27.
“Alternatively, if you no longer wish to travel, you can claim a full refund.”