UK Rail: New timetables off to terrible start with widespread cancellations & delays.

The new rail timetables promising more trains and faster journeys have got off to a disastrous start, with widespread delays and cancellations. The improved schedules took effect in the early hours of Sunday morning, 15 December. GWR said that the amendments have come about because an unusually high number of rail staff are not available to work. The disruption was particularly bad in West Wales. The train company told passengers: “Due to a shortage of train crew between London Paddington and Carmarthen fewer trains are able to run. Many services between London Paddington and South Wales will terminate short of their destination, with services also likely to be cancelled.GWR passengers between Penzance and London are being told to use local services on the Exeter-Plymouth-Penzance stretch, as some long-distance expresses have been cancelled. Elsewhere, improvements appear to be taking effect with few problems. On CrossCountry four weekday and five Saturday trains between Birmingham and Newcastle will run considerably faster, saving travellers up to half-an-hour. Stansted Airport and Norwich become connected with hourly trains. A new link between Halifax in West Yorkshire has been launched. On the East Coast main line, there are more direct trains from Harrogate in North Yorkshire to London.