January 17, 2022 8.36 am This story is over 25 months old

East Midlands Railway axes trains amid COVID-related staff shortages

Emergency timetables begin today

East Midlands Railway is brining in an emergency timetable from today with cuts to services in response to high levels of staff absences related to the Omicron outbreak.

The train operator says last minute cancellations are “incredibly frustrating” for passengers so it has decided to remove 4% of services from its timetable.

It comes as figures show an estimated 10% of rail staff were absent from work in the past month.

In a statement, East Midlands Railway, said: “EMR, like other rail operators and other industries, is experiencing high levels of COVID-related absence among its workforce which can impact our ability to provide a reliable timetable.

“In addition, government advice to work from home means passenger demand is also very low.

“Short notice cancellations are incredibly frustrating and something we are determined to avoid as much as possible.

“To help, we are removing approximately 4% of our services. This means we can protect those which are important for customers who are still travelling and provide a more reliable service.”

In Lincolnshire, the cancellations will affect the Newark North Gate to Lincoln services on Sundays at 11.40am and 7.45pm, and the Lincoln to Newark North Gate Sunday services at 11.06am and 7.15pm.

The 6.23pm Cleethorpes to Nottingham train will not run between Nottingham and Lincoln on Sundays and the 9.03am service from Grantham to Nottingham will not run on Sundays.

EMR says services will remain under constant review and changes will be made as needed. Passengers are advised to check for updates before setting out on their journey. The latest timetables can be found here.