SEVERAL train services have been cancelled this week due to staff shortages caused by the Omicron Covid wave.

From Monday, January 17 until further notice, Merseyrail is operating a 30-minute timetable from the start to the end of the service on all lines.

Normally, during peak times, the rail operator runs a 15-minute service between Chester, Ellesmere Port and Liverpool, meaning services depart every 15 minutes.

The changes take effect on the Monday-Saturday timetable. The Sunday timetable, which has trains running on a 30-minute timetable anyway, is unaffected.

Andy Heath, managing director at Merseyrail, said: “Our staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure that we can provide a safe and reliable service to the people of the Liverpool City Region.

“However, as is the case on other parts of the UK rail network, the Omicron variant has significantly increased the number of front-line staff being absent from work. This means that we need to reduce the number of trains we run to ensure that our services remain reliable.

“I would advise all customers to check our website and social media feeds before they travel, and we will continue to work hard to provide the best service that we can.”

Avanti West Coast has also introduced a short-term emergency timetable due to staff shortages.

Avanti West Coast will only run one train per hour in both directions on each of its routes connecting London Euston with Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester.

Just one daily return service will operate between the capital and Holyhead, North Wales via Chester.

It was estimated earlier this month that around 10 per cent of all rail staff were absent from work.

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group said reliability has been boosted by those operators which have already reduced services.

It added that just 2.1 per cent of all trains were cancelled in the seven days to Friday, which is below the annual average of around 3 per cent.

Passengers are advised to check for updates before setting out on their journey, or sign up for automatic alerts from National Rail Alert Me.

Provisional Department for Transport figures show demand for rail travel was at 55 per cent of pre-pandemic levels earlier this week.

Rail customers are advised that the wearing of face coverings on public transport is still mandatory unless exempt, and they are urged to use contactless payments where possible, wash/sanitise their hands before and after travel, and do not use public transport if they have Covid symptoms and/or have tested positive.