Christmas train chaos warning as minister says crew shortages could hit services

The Government has expressed concerns over potential disruptions to Christmas train services due to staffing shortages.

Rail minister Lord Hendy informed MPs that Department for Transport (DfT) officials will continue to monitor the situation throughout the festive period.

Many train drivers and other crew members do not have Sunday working included in their contracts, leading to operators often relying on them volunteering for extra paid shifts to run scheduled services on that day. This frequently results in the cancellation of hundreds of trains across Britain, such as on Father’s Day or during a major England football match.

While giving evidence to the Commons’ Transport Select Committee, Lord Hendy stated that the Government is worried about "staffing of Christmas services". He added: "I’ve been through this a lot with Alex (Alex Hynes, director general for the DfT’s rail services group) recently and will continue to be into, right up to and over Christmas."

These comments were made a day after the Rail, Maritime and Transport union announced that train managers at Avanti West Coast will strike in a dispute over rest day working on December 22, 23 and 29.

Union members have resoundingly rejected the company’s latest offer amid festive travel concerns. As per tradition, Britain’s rail network will completely halt operations on Christmas Day and run only a limited service on Boxing Day.

The disruption is further extended this festive season due to Network Rail's engineering work schedule. Lord Hendy, who served as chair of Network Rail from 2015 until joining the Labour Government, commented: "Christmas is a good time to do major engineering work, because the demand is lower over several days."

Passenger numbers at key stations are known to fall by 50-60% in the week from Christmas Day to New Year's compared to early winter weeks, according to earlier statements by Network Rail.