CUSTOMERS have been asked to double-check their journey times with heavy disruption expected on the rails this weekend.

A shortage of available train crew means there may be more short-notice alterations and cancellations this Saturday, December 30, and Sunday, December 31, CrossCountry has said.

Services that do operate are likely to be “extremely busy” and customers are advised to check their entire journey before travelling.

Areas expected to be particularly affected by cancellations include Cardiff to Nottingham, via Birmingham, and Leeds to Edinburgh via Newcastle.

On December 31, New Year’s Eve, rail services will finish earlier than normal so that planned engineering work can take place on the network over the bank holiday.

On January 1, New Year’s Day, planned upgrades in the Birmingham New Street area will extend journey times by as much as 30 minutes on several CrossCountry routes.

Customers with tickets for CrossCountry services purchased up to Thursday, December 28, can travel on Saturday, December 30, or Monday, January 1, instead for no extra charge.

For journeys involving connections with other train operators, customers should check with the relevant operators for details on ticket acceptance before they travel.

Mark Goodall, CrossCountry’s service delivery director, said: "We know that a lot of people are travelling over the festive period and we’re sorry that services around New Year’s Eve this year are likely to be impacted by train crew availability.

“I’d ask that customers check before they travel and continue to be respectful to on-train colleagues who are working as hard as they can to get people where they want to be.”