Storm Darragh - Please do not travel unless absolutely necessary on Saturday 7 December due to a red weather warning in place. Please check your journey before travelling on Sunday 8 December - more information
With the festive period approaching, the railway network will be busier than usual, please check your journey before you travel - more information
Monday 10 March 2008
To ensure a comfortable journey during this busy period, customers are strongly advised to take advantage of complimentary seat reservations when buying tickets in advance. Reservations are now open for CrossCountry services throughout the holiday period. Saver tickets will be valid for travel at any time from Good Friday 21 until Easter Monday 24 March inclusive and Weekend First Upgrades are available from as little as £10 during this time.
Also, because of extensive engineering work taking place on the West Coast Main Line at Rugby, CrossCountry will accept all valid Virgin Trains tickets on its services throughout the Easter holiday.
Ample storage space for medium sized suitcases and large bags is available on overhead luggage racks throughout each carriage and space between and underneath seats is perfect for small bags. All customers will enjoy a more comfortable journey by not placing luggage in the aisles, vestibules or special needs area, or on adjacent seats.
During the holiday period Network Rail engineers will be carrying out essential engineering work to upgrade the network. This may require alterations to services and for some trains to be replaced by coaches, on which all valid tickets for that route will be accepted. Any disruption will be kept to an absolute minimum, but customers are advised to check travel details in advance by calling the National Rail Enquiry Service on 08457 484950 or by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk/easter
Planned engineering work between Burton on Trent and Derby during the weekend of 15 and 16 March and the Easter holiday weekend has been cancelled, so trains to and from the north-east will call at Tamworth and Burton on Trent as normal.
Full normal services will be provided by CrossCountry from Tuesday 25 March.
From 14:00 on Saturday 15 March engineering work at Doncaster means that trains will be diverted between Sheffield and York and not call at Doncaster. Connecting rail services will run between Sheffield and Doncaster and between Doncaster and York via Leeds.
On Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 March replacement coaches will link Birmingham New Street with stations to Leicester from where trains will run to Stansted Airport.
On Sunday 16 March only, trains to and from Reading will run via Coventry and Birmingham International, but journey times will remain unaffected.
On Sunday 16 March until 15:05 engineering work at Taunton will divert trains via Westbury with journey times extended by one hour.
On Sunday 16 March until 15:30 trains to and from Bournemouth will start from and terminate at Winchester. Replacement coaches will link Winchester with Southampton Central and Bournemouth.
From 18:00 on Good Friday 21 until Easter Monday 24 March, major signalling and track improvement work will affect the north end of Sheffield station. Trains will either start from or terminate at Sheffield or be diverted not to call at Sheffield with no effect on journey times. On Sunday 23 March, trains will call at Sheffield, having been diverted via Chesterfield before returning to Sheffield.
From Easter Saturday 22 until Easter Monday 24 March, engineering work will affect services between Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport. Replacement coaches will run between Birmingham New Street and stations to Leicester to connect with trains to and from Stansted Airport on Good Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March. On Sunday 23 and Monday 24 March, connecting trains will run to and from Ely only, with replacement coaches linking Ely and Stansted Airport.
From 14:00 on Saturday 22 March, trains will be diverted between Sheffield and York and will not call at Doncaster. Connecting train services will link Doncaster with Sheffield and with York via Leeds.
On Sunday 23 March, trains to and from Nottingham will start from and terminate at Gloucester with replacement coaches running between Gloucester and Newport for train connections to and from Cardiff Central.
On Sunday 23 March all trains to and from Reading will run via Coventry and Birmingham International, but journey times remain unaffected.
Until 15:05 on Sunday 23 March, engineering work at Taunton will divert trains via Westbury with journey times extended by one hour.
CrossCountry started operating on 11 November 2007. The franchise, which is the most extensive in the UK, will run until 31 March 2016. For further information on CrossCountry services and future franchise plans log on to www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk
STATIONS SERVED: 133
ROUTE MILES: 1,654
WEEKDAY SERVICES: 288
PASSENGERS CARRIED: Over 30 million passenger journeys a year anticipated
ANNUAL TRAIN MILEAGE: Approximately 16 million
EMPLOYEES: Approximately 1,800
LONGEST TRAIN SERVICE: Penzance to Dundee (701 miles)
CrossCountry is part of the Arriva group which operates transport services in ten European countries, employs more than 37,000 people and provides more than one billion passenger journeys every year. For more information about the Arriva group visit www.arriva.co.uk
Select this link to view the Press Release PDF
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CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]
About CrossCountry
CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.
For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains
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