Extra seats added to London to Scotland rail services will help to provide air passengers with an alternative form of transport should they experience disruption because of the ash cloud.
Virgin Trains has provided around 3,000 extra seats on services tomorrow (Wednesday 25th May) to deal with additional demand.
East Coast’s new timetable, which launched on Sunday, has added almost 11,000 extra seats every weekday.
Figures from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) show that last year during the disruption to air services caused by the ash cloud:
- Rail journeys between London and Scotland more than doubled when compared with normal travel patterns for that time of year.
- Rail journeys to and from ferry ports rose by 44%.
Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of ATOC said: “The nation is better prepared for the impact of the ash cloud than it was last year, but any disruption to travel plans is frustrating.
“Last year, some train companies saw a surge in passengers as people turned to rail to get to where they wanted to go. Train companies are again on hand to help air passengers get from A to B as quickly and easily as possible.”
Robin Gisby, director of operations and customer services for Network Rail, said: “We are already looking at how we can cut back our engineering plans to accommodate more train services over the weekend if the ash cloud situation intensifies.
“We’re working closely with our train operating colleagues to see how the railways can once again help those stranded, get home.”
