Rail passengers face weekend of delays because of staff illness
Rail passengers are set to face delays of up to three hours to services in the region over the weekend because of high levels of staff illness.
Services travelling to stations including Birmingham New Street, Stourbridge Junction and Rugeley Trent Valley were being delayed or cancelled due to train crew sickness
Several services have been affected by this issue, which follows on from major service delays on Friday because of a trespasser walking on the tracks.
West Midlands Railway has made contingency plans to help travellers over the weekend, including some trains making extra stops, rail replacement services and ensuring tickets are valid via different routes.
A West Midlands Railway spokesperson said: "There are a number of reasons why train crew may not be available on any given occasion, such as due to disruption, and we have systems in place to manage this.
"There are also occasions when, due to historic terms and conditions in staff contracts, the amount of train crew on leave at the same time may be greater than the rosters can accommodate.
"We are actively reviewing the procedures we use to plan our resources and are also recruiting more train crew in order to help reduce the need to cancel services in future.
"Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more in the event of a cancellation are urged to claim compensation via Delay Repay."
To find out more and see if your service is affected, go to journeycheck.com/westmidlandsrailway
