Avanti West Coast rail services scaled back due to strike action

One train per hour will run from London to Manchester, Glasgow, and Liverpool on Sunday, Avanti said

Train passengers are being warned of a hugely reduced Avanti West Coast timetable on Sunday due to further strike action by train managers.

One train will run per hour from London to Manchester, Glasgow, and Liverpool, the operator said.

Services to Liverpool will also go via the West Midlands due to engineering work between Rugby and Stafford.

There will be no services to North Wales, Shrewsbury, Chester, Blackpool and Edinburgh, Avanti added.

People heading to the Comic Con event in Liverpool this weekend are being urged to find alternative transport.

The strike is because managers are angry at at having their work-life balance ruined, the RMT union said.

"Avanti continue to operate with a siege mentality hoping that our members will simply give in," general secretary Mick Lynch said.

Passengers are being warned of disruption and longer journeys due to the strike and engineering work

Avanti urged passengers to check before they travel and warned them to expect longer journeys.

Barry Milsom, from the firm, said they were disappointed at the disruption from another strike.

"We ask RMT to engage in meaningful industry reform talks around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st century," he said.

Passengers have faced a long spell of disruption on the rail network with Avanti slashing its timetable in August.

The firm is now slowly building back services and has promised a full timetable in December that does not rely on rest day working.

In October, the Department for Transport warned that Avanti West Coast needed to "drastically improve services" after its contract to run the London to Glasgow route was extended by just six months.