Great Western Railway (GWR) has issued a public apology for the ongoing and significant service disruptions affecting Sunday routes between Wales and London.
Passengers have described the situation as "disgraceful," citing numerous delays and cancellations over recent weeks, culminating in advice from GWR to avoid train travel to Bath on the penultimate Sunday before Christmas.
The rail company attributes the problems to a confluence of factors. A spokesperson, Dan Panes, cited a combination of voluntary Sunday working arrangements for crews, unplanned engineering works, and the impact of recent storms as placing "additional pressure" on their resources.
He admitted that a swift resolution is unlikely, stating, "a solution is not going to happen anytime soon."
Steve Austin, GWR organiser for the train drivers' union Aslef, explained that many drivers do not have Sundays included in their regular working week, and Sunday shifts are offered as overtime. The proximity to Christmas, coupled with a recent pay deal that provided drivers with a substantial backdated payment, has further reduced the willingness of drivers to work overtime on Sundays. Austin criticised GWR management, stating, "It's frustrating at the moment, because management just don't seem interested in running the service." Aslef has argued for two decades that Sunday should be a standard part of the working week for drivers, but acknowledges that this would necessitate significant recruitment.
On Monday, Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney met with Mark Hopwood, Managing Director of Great Western Railway who explained industry changes making rest-day work more appealing than weekend work, coupled with a reduced willingness among staff to work on Sundays, has led to significant staffing shortages, resulting in widespread service cancellations.
Mr Hopwood praised the dedication of GWR colleagues who continue to work Sundays and go the extra mile, highlighting the challenges faced.
The root of the problem, Hopwood revealed, lies in the current rostering system. While drivers have been rostered for Sunday work since 2017, train managers have no such Sunday commitments. Similarly, around 90% of customer hosts are contracted to work Sundays, whereas station staff are not.
While drivers are reportedly on board with a proposed solution, implementation requires union agreement, as trains cannot operate in driver-only mode without it.
GWR is actively engaging with unions to address the staffing shortfall and has reached out to the Department for Transport to facilitate formal negotiations.
Cllr Pearce-Kearney told us that Mark Hopwood was frank with him and admitted that a resolution won't be immediate, emphasising the need for both contract reform and ultimately, the recruitment of additional staff.
Addressing the nationalisation of railways, a government initiative, Hopwood said that this will not immediately impact the Sunday service issues. While several operators have already been nationalised (LNER, Northern, and Transpennine Express), with SWR, C2C, and Greater Anglia scheduled for next year, GWR services are not expected to see any changes until at least 2026.
Despite the current challenges, First Group, the parent company of GWR, remains committed to the future of rail. They have secured options for private rail travel from South Wales to Paddington, promising increased services through Wiltshire and a wider variety of operators.
Before his meeting Cllr Pearce-Kearney asked residents if there was anything they'd like him to ask Mr Hopwood, one of the responses was to ask about offering more services departing Chippenham headed to London later in the evening - Mr Hopgood told him that GWR will look into it.
Cllr Pearce-Kearney told Calne News: "It was great to have the opportunity to meet with the managing director to gain a deeper understanding of the issues in order to share them with our community. Regrettably, I think this issue will continue for some time and I urge everyone to check GWR’s special Sunday disruption webpage before they travel. I’ll continue to monitor this and provide update updates."
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