Omicron: Covid hits Wales' Christmas train services

Some train services in Wales will be temporarily cancelled from Wednesday due to staff shortages caused by Covid.

Transport for Wales (TfW) has warned passengers to plan ahead and check their journey because services are running at 70% of the normal levels.

It comes as car drivers are warned the festive getaway on the roads will be the busiest for five years with people wanting "to do Christmas properly."

The RAC and the AA said Thursday and Christmas Eve would be the busiest.

But it is rail passengers who will need to check their travel plans as TfW attempts to manage ongoing and expected staff shortages due to Covid and the Omicron variant.

All TfW services are set to be affected, including services between south Wales and north Wales, Manchester and England's south coast as well as Valley Line, Cambrian Line and Heart of Wales Line trains.

The indefinite service reduction on the Wales and borders area of the rail network is because TfW had recently been forced to cancel an unprecedented amount of services due to "resource availability".

People travelling to stay with friends and family this Christmas have been advised by the Welsh government to "flow before they go" in a bid to help reduce the spread of Covid.

Analysts predict 27 million trips in the run-up to Christmas, but it is estimated one in 10 will not travel over pandemic concerns.

Experts have warned drivers the congestion hotspots will be busier than normal, especially between 12:00 and 16:00 GMT on Thursday and 11:00 to 14:00 on Christmas Eve.

"Despite the increasing prevalence of the Omicron Covid variant, our research shows that the vast majority of drivers are still determined to do Christmas properly this year," said Rod Dennis of the RAC.

"We're expecting the biggest Christmas getaway for five years. But with overall traffic volumes in the run-up to the big day set to be down slightly on normal, given the current work from home guidance, there's reason to hope there won't be too many queues as millions get away to see friends and family."

The M4 around Newport, Swansea and Port Talbot is expected to be Wales' busiest stretches of road.

Drivers are advised to set off early or postpone their trips until after dark to avoid the worst of the traffic.

"While 23 December and Christmas Eve look set to be the busiest travelling days, the change in working practices with increased home working, means we could see a spread of traffic across these days rather than a chaotic evening rush," said AA president Edmund King.

The Welsh government has paused major road works for the festive period while Highways England said "almost 98% of the road network we manage free from roadworks".

As well as the reduced services on TfW trains, there will be no trains between Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare between 27 December and 6 January.

TfW will run replacement bus services because of engineering work to upgrade the line as part of the £750m South Wales Metro project.

While train lines are shut for Christmas Day and 26 December, a new footbridge will be installed at Newport railway station to link the city centre and the Queen's Hill area.

Main line trains between south Wales and London will be affected by engineering work around Bristol between Christmas and new year, so GWR services will be reduced to every hour and journey times will be longer.

Trains will not stop at Bristol Parkway either but will stop at Patchway. A rail replacement bus service will run between Patchway and Parkway.

Trains between Cardiff and Portsmouth will be largely unaffected by the work at Bristol but there will be an amended timetable on GWR services between Cardiff Central and Taunton.

Rail passengers travelling between north Wales and London will be disrupted as Avanti West Coast's Holyhead to Euston services will only run to and from Crewe due to engineering work in London between 1 and 3 January.

The work also means trains between north Wales and London could be affected on 27 December and Avanti has advised for passengers to check their journey before travelling.

Ferries between Wales and Ireland are preparing for what is normally one of their busiest times of the year, where about 12,000 passengers are expected to travel on Irish Ferry services in the build-up to Christmas.

Passengers have been warned to travel early to avoid any traffic congestion with the last Irish Ferry sailings to Ireland before Christmas at 14:10 from Holyhead to Dublin on Christmas Eve and 14:45 from Pembroke to Rosslare.

Stena Line will operate six sailings between the Republic of Ireland and Wales on Christmas Eve - four between Dublin and Holyhead and two between Rosslare and Fishguard, and passengers have been told they must adhere to UK Covid protocols.