Rail firm cuts trains ready for leaves on the line

SOUTHERN Rail has caused new outrage after pre-emptively cancelling dozens of Gatwick Express trains and extending the journey times of other services for the next seven weeks due to “leaves on the line”.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which owns Southern, said 33 Gatwick Express services previously scrapped amid staff shortages will not return until Dec 12 because of the leaf issue.

GTR, which is involved in a longrunning dispute with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union over changes to the role of conductors.

More than 60 Southern services will be restored to the timetable from Monday and a further 46 will follow on October 31, completing all its services removed earlier this year under a revised timetable because of the industrial dispute and staff shortages.

GTR said that in line with the rest of the rail industry, it was taking steps to better manage the impact of leaves on the line during the autumn. Leaving the 33 Gatwick Express services out until the end of autumn will help reduce congestion and delays on the busy Brighton mainline route, it said.

Charles Horton, chief executive of GTR, said: “Challenging conditions during the autumn mean that train services across the country become vulnerable to poor weather and slippery rails, compromising performance and certainty for passengers.”

Manuel Cortes, leader of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, said: “What do Southern’s bosses put in their tea? This is pure Alice in Wonderland stuff – fewer trains and longer journey times to improve service.”

Mick Cash, the RMT leader, said: “With passengers paying thousands of pounds to travel with Southern they expect a full service, properly staffed, where safety comes before profit.”

A Network Rail spokesman said it was “quite normal” for operators to change their services to an autumn timetable in order to deal with seasonal disruptions such as falling leaves, which can act like black ice on the roads.