Solution to GWR's Sunday service problems 'not going to happen any time soon'

A reduced Sunday service on Great Western Railway is expected to continue indefinitely, because there are not enough train crew to keep trains running.

GWR has said the solution "is not going to happen any time soon”.

Up to half the long-distance services between London Paddington, Wales and the West are being cancelled each Sunday, with the operator relying on crews volunteering to work as it doesn’t count as part of their working week.

The operator has suggested people should consider travelling on different days, because the reduced number of Sunday services are very busy.

Several drivers have said a recent pay deal means they do not need the extra money they earn by working on their rest days.

The deal included an element of backdated pay for the previous two years, which means drivers received a lump sum in their autumn payslips. And it has traditionally been harder to persuade drivers to work voluntary overtime during the weeks running up to Christmas.

The drivers' union, ASLEF, said it has argued for 20 years that Sunday should be included in the working week. But it said that would require employing a larger number of drivers.

GWR spokesman Dan Panes said: "60 per cent of our staff are not contracted to work on a Sunday. They can choose to work or not."

He added: "We would like to bring Sundays into the working week, and we are talking to government and our industry partners.

"It will take quite some time to fix."

For the two Sundays closest to Christmas, it is understood GWR is offering drivers an incentive of double pay to reduce cancellations. 

Since 2018, new driver recruits have been contracted to work across a seven-day week. Some drivers of suburban services in the Thames Valley are also on a seven-day agreement.

However, older long-distance drivers are not.