Train services between Liverpool and London were cancelled for several hours on Sunday after the Aslef union told drivers not to walk on snow.
The disruption occurred just months after the drivers received a 15 per cent pay rise from the Labour government, which increased their salaries to nearly £70,000 per year.
The cancellations affected Avanti West Coast services when union health and safety representatives told drivers not to turn up at the Liverpool Edge Hill depot until snow was cleared from the walkways.
According to Network Rail data, 10 trains were prevented from leaving the depot on time, resulting in approximately 14 cancelled services.
10 trains were prevented from leaving the depot on time, resulting in approximately 14 cancelled services
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The disruption likely affected thousands of passengers, who may now be eligible for Delay Repay compensation.
The Met Office had forecast one to three inches of snow for the Liverpool area on Sunday, with higher accumulations of five to 11 inches predicted across Wales and the southern Pennines.
Photographs taken in the early hours of Sunday morning at Liverpool Edge Hill depot showed about two inches of snow covering rails, electrical cables and other equipment.
A railway insider told The Telegraph: “Edge Hill depot [was] not gritted last night. All walkways covered in snow/ice and therefore no trains are able to leave as there’s no safe walking routes for drivers.”
An Aslef spokesman defended the action, stating: “The walkways were covered in snow and ice – making them unusable. Once they had been cleared, the drivers could access their trains, and did so. This is basic safety stuff.”
The union spokesman dismissed suggestions that health and safety representatives had been “over-reaching” and instead pointed to Avanti as being responsible for the situation.
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Trains were cancelled at Hunt’s Cross station in Liverpool
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Conservative shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon criticised the situation, saying: “Just who is running our railways under this new government? It’s obvious who they’re being run for: the unions.”
He added that “Labour needs to stop allowing their union paymasters to call the shots.”
While Avanti declined to comment, they noted that the Liverpool Lime Street train depot is operated by Alstom.
A spokesman for Alstom explained that a contractor had to be called back to the depot to clear the walkways after routine scheduled treatment was carried out before the snowfall.
Large parts of the UK are facing heavy snow and freezing rain
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The disruption comes after train drivers overwhelmingly accepted a pay deal in September 2024, ending a two-year dispute at 16 rail companies.
Aslef members voted 96 per cent in favour of the deal, with an 84 per cent turnout.
The package, offered by then-Transport Secretary Louise Haigh shortly after Labour’s election victory, included a five per cent backdated pay rise for 2022-23, followed by increases of 4.75 per cent and 4.5 per cent for subsequent years.
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