Covid: Greater Anglia cuts train services as demand drops

Platforms at Colchester railway station were very quiet on Tuesday morning

A rail company has cancelled 70 services a day due to Covid-related staffing issues and a drop in demand.

Greater Anglia said the changes were "due to falling passenger numbers as people follow advice to work from home".

It said it had reduced services "to plan for our staff being affected by the Omicron variant".

The majority of cancellations are between Essex and London and will be in place between 4 and 7 January.

"We run just under 1,400 services a day, so it's a very small proportion, and we are continuing to run about 90% of our timetable, even with these cancellations," said Juliette Maxam of Greater Anglia.

Ms Maxam said passenger numbers currently stood at about 55% of "normal" pre-pandemic figures.

The company warned about a lack of demand and its decision to run a reduced service last month.

Routes affected include InterCity services between Norwich and London Liverpool Street and Great Eastern Mainline services from Colchester, Clacton, Ipswich, Harwich and Braintree.

Trains between Ipswich and Cambridge have also been cancelled.

A replacement bus service is planned between Walton-on-the-Naze and Colchester during late evenings.

Passengers are advised to check timetables before they travel.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents UK railway companies, said almost one in 10 rail workers were off work due to the pandemic.

Greater Anglia has reduced its train services