Eastbourne residents warned about reduced train timetables due to staff shortages over covid

Southern has said that no services will run to London Victoria and there will be a reduced timetable caused by the impact of covid, which continues to affect staff availability.

Train times will change on weekdays from Tuesday, January 4 until further notice. Passengers are strongly advised to check before they travel, said a Southern spokesperson.

Angie Doll, Govia Thameslink Railway interim chief operating officer, said, “Due to the significant challenges we face with covid now affecting many of our colleagues, we have taken the decision to operate a reduced train timetable from January. We’re really sorry if this does affect your journey.

“While many more people are now working from home again, we’re fully focussed on proving a service that passengers can rely on if they need to travel. We’d strongly urge people to check before they travel for the latest information and to leave extra time.”

Southern has now said there will be no Southern or Gatwick Express services at London Victoria, Battersea Park, Clapham Junction or Wandsworth Common until January 10, the start of the second working week of 2021.

Gatwick Express will remain suspended, as it has been over the festive period to allow for engineering works. Gatwick Express crews will instead focus on supporting Southern services, which also serve Gatwick Airport.

While fewer people are travelling on the railways overall, and government guidance is to work from home where possible, those who do need to travel in the new year are advksed to check their journeys in advance and allow additional time.

The spokesperson said there are currently no planned changes for weekends, but it may be necessary to make smaller, additional on-the-day changes.