More trains for Sheffield travellers as Covid restrictions eased

The railway operator fully reinstated its full intercity timetable from Monday, February 28, boosting services to and from London St Pancras for Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.

It has also introduced 33 regional Sunday services on routes such as Crewe-Derby, Nottingham-Matlock and Lincoln-Newark Northgate.

EMR stated that the increases are possible as a result of 'steady improvement' in the amount of Covid-related staff absences and the resolution of a long-running dispute with the Rail, Maritime, and Transportation union over senior conductors.

Paul Barnfield, the rail’s firm’s operations director, said: “We are pleased to be able to reintroduce services to our network from this weekend.

“This is a positive step in the right direction and is made possible by the continued decline in Covid-related staff absences and the resolution of industrial disputes.”

EMR was among the latest firms to reintroduce services cut in December and January due to the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Due to staff shortages brought on by the strain, timetables were slashed across the board to avoid last-minute cancellations.

Apart from EMR, Avanti West Coast has also increased its frequency of AWC’s London Euston trains to and from Manchester and Birmingham.

North Wales and Chester will now get a second daily service to and from the capital.

AWC, which runs trains on the West Coast Main Line, will make further additions to its timetables on May 15.