Tuesday 21 June 2022 01:28 PM Delays to hit trials at Inner London Crown court next Tuesday due to strike by ... trends now

Trial delays to hit Inner London Crown Court next week due to a strike by criminal barristers over legal aid funding.

It is understood that while one or two trials may not sit due to strike action, the court will remain open for other non-trial business.

A judge at the court today warned jurors that they will not be sitting next Tuesday as several days of walkouts begin along with a refusal to take on new cases.

Judge Ian Darling explained how the bar has been operating a 'no returns policy', under which a barrister assigned a particular case cannot pass it on to a colleague in the event that they cannot attend a hearing. He said this has been escalated to 'days of action'.

He told jurors: ‘We will be sitting on Monday but definitively not on Tuesday.' 

And referring to the rail strikes, he added that he was hoping to find alternative routes tomorrow to ensure his arrival at the court near Elephant and Castle, south London.

The judge continued: 'How I’m going to get my daughter to school to do her GCSEs is another matter. We will start tomorrow at 10.30am, so good luck with making your way here.'

His remarks come as barristers earning an average of £89,200-a-year - 200% above the national average wage - today voted for several days of walkouts along with a refusal to take on new cases.

Teachers, binmen and NHS staff have all also threatened to walk out on a level not seen since the Winter of Discontent in the 1970s.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents barristers in England and Wales, said several days of court walkouts will begin from next week along with a refusal to take on new cases.

The promised industrial action, announced this morning following a ballot of members, comes at a time of significant backlogs across the court system due to the pandemic.

The CBA said around 81.5% of the more than 2,000 members to respond supported industrial action.

Jo Sidhu QC and Kirsty Brimelow QC from the CBA said: 'This extraordinary commitment to the democratic process reflects a recognition amongst criminal barristers at all levels of call and across all Circuits that what is at stake is the survival of a profession of specialist criminal advocates and of the criminal justice system which depends so critically upon their labour.

'Without immediate action to halt the exodus of criminal barristers from our ranks, the record backlog that has crippled our courts will continue to inflict misery upon victims and defendants alike, and the public will be betrayed.'

It came as more than 450,000 teachers could strike if they are not handed a pay rise of up to 12 per cent, it was revealed today.

Two key teaching unions are considering balloting members over strike action if a significant pay increase is not offered by Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi on Wednesday.

Teachers could soon vote on industrial action in a week where Britain is bracing itself for chaos with the biggest rail strike in a generation. which will also hit A-Level and GCSE students during their exams.

And other trade unions are threatening walkouts this summer which could see action from, NHS staff, barristers, postmen and all kids of public sector workers. Up to 1.5million workers are being balloted over strike action.

The National Education Union (NEU) said a letter to be sent to Mr Zahawi on Wednesday that  the union is prepared to ballot its members if a pay rise more in line with inflation is not offered. Joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said it must be a minimum of nine per cent.

Dr Bousted admitted there is 'a risk' that her union's inflation level pay demand will help fuel further price increases, but said: 'The risk if you don't pay teachers properly is greater'.

She said: 'This is a cry for help. We've seen since 2010 teachers pay kept artificially low, and we all know what an immensely important teachers do, but they haven't been valued for that job. Now the cost of living crisis is driving them away from the profession. Our members don't want to take strike action... but we can't carry on like this any longer'.

NASUWT leaders have also called for a 12% pay increase for teachers this year, and said it will ballot members in England, Wales and Scotland for industrial action if its demands are not met. A pay award for 2022/23 is due in November.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: 'We will not allow cuts to our members' pay and attacks on their pensions. If a pay rise is not awarded, it will be won by our members in workplaces through industrial action'.

Commuters were urged to stay at home today ahead of the worst shutdown of Britain's railways for 30 years from tomorrow as militant unions threatened to strike up until Christmas.

Millions of people will be forced to work from home or battle into work on foot, bike or in rammed buses due to the three days of strikes that run tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday. The strike has been designed so there will also be severe disruption for on non-strike days too, causing six days of chaos. 

The rail strikes will also directly affect pupils, who are taking their GCSEs and A-levels this week, which rely on trains to get them to school. The walkouts will also cause misery for music and sports fans, especially the 200,000 people heading to the Glastonbury Festival after a three-year hiatus.

And today it emerged that teachers, doctors, binmen, barristers and postmen could join rail workers in heaping walkout misery upon Britain this Summer and into the Autumn.

Sir Keir Starmer yesterday again failed to condemn rail strikes that will cause chaos this week and cost businesses hundreds of millions of pounds.

'The plan by unions to bring Britain to a standstill by holding strikes across swathes of the economy and our public services is deeply selfish,' said Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden.

'Hard-pressed families and businesses will suffer extra costs and disruption caused by these unnecessary strikes.'

Lord Blunkett, the Labour former home secretary, urged union bosses to 'stop pretending they are in the 1970s or 1980s'.

Last night, senior rail sources said that agency workers are not going to be the 'silver bullet' many are hoping for to help stop the disruptive strikes.

The rail and Tube strikes are likely to cost the economy at least £91million in staff absences alone, according to analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). They calculated that 0.8 per cent of staff – more than 250,000 people – will not be able to get to work. 

They said that while the industry would welcome plans for agency workers to cover gaps in the workforce, it would 'only prove useful' in the 'less skilled parts' of railway companies.

The source told The Times: 'It takes a year to train someone as a signaller. In the same way you can't just put an agency worker in the cab of a train, it's not a silver bullet by any measure.' 

Two teaching unions with a combined membership of around 750,000 yesterday became the latest to warn of walkouts unless salaries go up.

And half a million Health Service staff could strike over their pay offer.

Commuters will not be the only ones facing chaos this week, as doctors, nurses, workers in the civil service and local governments, postal workers, traffic wardens and BT engineers are said to be considering joining strike ballots. 

RMT union boss Mick Lynch yesterday suggested the rail strikes could stretch into the autumn, warning: 'There are going to be many unions balloting across the country, because people can't take it anymore.'

Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said Labour's failure to condemn the strikes showed it was in hock to the unions.

He added: 'Now they want to take us back to the 1970s and bring this country to a standstill. Many people still remember the Winter of Discontent, 25 per cent inflation, sky-high interest rates, IMF bailouts, three-day weeks and rubbish on the streets.

'We must tackle this head on and show that the British people will not be held to ransom.'

The NASUWT teaching union said yesterday that its 300,000 members would be balloted unless the Government backed demands for a 12 per cent pay rise.

General secretary Patrick Roach said Britain faced an 'existential emergency for the future of the teaching profession' because of the cost-of-living crisis coupled with 'real-terms pay cuts'.

He added: 'The Government wrongly assumed teachers would simply stand by as they erode pay and strip our education system to the bone. If a pay rise is not awarded, it will be won by our members in workplaces through industrial action.'

The National Education Union will also prepare to ballot its 460,000 members – ranging from teachers and lecturers to support staff – unless an acceptable pay rise is offered in line with inflation.

Joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: 'If there is no significant improvement on 3 per cent – which will leave an 8 per cent gap with inflation this year alone – we cannot avoid a ballot. The mood among teachers has changed.

'Last year the issue was mainly workload. This year it is workload and pay.'

 

Unison, the country's biggest union, has indicated half a million members could strike over the upcoming NHS pay offer, which is expected in June, if it falls short of the 9.2 per cent rate of inflation.

The NHS walkout would likely see thousands of appointments and operations missed because patients will be unable to get to hospitals and surgeries.

National medical director of NHS England, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said it was 'vital' that people sought appointments and treatment despite the disruption.

General secretary Christina McAnea said: 'The Government has a simple choice. Either it makes a sensible pay award, investing in staff and services and reducing delays for patients or it risks a potential dispute, growing workforce shortages and increased suffering for the sick.'

The British Medication Association has also said it would ballot members over junior doctors' pay. And the railways could be hit by further strikes in the summer holidays after the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association served notice to ballot hundreds of workers at Southeastern and Great Western Railway over demands for no compulsory redundancies and a pay rise. 

Some 115,000 Royal Mail workers are set to be balloted by the Communication Workers Union in another dispute over pay.

Royal Mail announced last week that staff would receive a 2 per cent pay rise but CWU deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger said it was 'nowhere near acceptable'.

The rail strikes will also directly affect pupils, who are taking their GCSEs and A-levels this week, which rely on trains to get them to school.

On Tuesday, teenagers sitting GCSE history or dance, or A-level German, religious studies, or maths could be hit. Those taking A-level chemistry or GCSE physics on Thursday could also be affected.

The Public and Commercial Services Union, which has around 180,000 members in the Civil Service, will also vote in September over possible action over its demand for a 10 per cent pay rise. Barristers are voting on whether to strike over legal aid rates, with a decision due today.

Lord Blunkett last night warned the unions that mass walkouts would be counter-productive. 'The one way to lose all support and ensure the re-election of Boris Johnson is to fall into the elephant trap,' he said.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng will table legislation as early as this week to let businesses recruit temporary staff during walkouts, a practice that is currently banned.

Many festival-goers typically take the train to the nearest station at Castle Cary before catching a bus to the festival site.

While Great Western Railway said it planned to keep some trains running between the station and London Paddington during the festival, it has warned the times of some services might change.

Coach firm National Express said it had seen 'a significant increase in both inquiries and bookings' as people opt to travel with it, and warned of heavy traffic around the festival site.

How will rail strikes affect me? From employee's WFH rights to refunds, what sectors will walkout and which parts of the UK will be hit: Your questions about this week's industrial action answered

The UK's biggest rail strike in a generation is set to cripple train services over the coming days, with only around half of the network set to be open and for just an 11-hour period on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday this week.

Almost all stations across Scotland and Wales will be completely cut off, while there will also be no services to the likes of Penzance in Cornwall, Bournemouth in Dorset, Chester in Cheshire and Blackpool in Lancashire.

There will also be no passenger trains running north from Glasgow or Edinburgh, and the number of services on the three strike days is expected to be limited to around 4,500 compared with 20,000 normally.

Passengers also face further disruption over the coming months as more ballots are held, while strike threats are also looming within the NHS, education and local government sectors amid a 'summer of discontent'.

Here, MailOnline looks at how the rail strike could affect you - and what other action could be on the horizon: 

What dates are the rail strikes taking place?

A national rail strike is planned by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union for tomorrow (June 21), Thursday (June 23) and Saturday (June 25) which will affect the entire UK rail network. It is going ahead as it stands.

The action will involve members of the RMT at Network Rail and 13 operators. It will also have a knock-on effort on services on the three days after each strike day - Wednesday (June 22), Friday (June 24) and Sunday (June 26).

Separately, another strike is planned by the RMT and Unite on London Underground tomorrow (June 21) which will affect services until 8am on Wednesday (June 22). Most Underground services should be unaffected after then. 

There is also a strike by Aslef on Greater Anglia trains on Thursday (June 23) and Croydon Tramlink on June 28 and June 29, and on July 13 and July 14). An Aslef strike on Hull Trains on Sunday (June 26) has been called off.

Will any services will be affected tonight by the rail strike?

Most UK rail services will be running until the end of normal service this evening, although there are some exceptions and there could be last-minute disruption - so check with your operator before travelling tonight.

This afternoon's 5.30pm Grand Central service from Sunderland to London Kings Cross is thought to be the first train cancelled due to this strike across the UK network. Also axed is tonight's 7.50pm Caledonian Sleeper service from Fort William to London Euston. In addition, Heathrow Express has cancelled some trains tonight after 11pm.

Which UK operators are affected by the rail strike?

Just 20 per cent of normal services are expected to run on the three strike days. Every UK rail operator will be affected by the action, with most running a limited service between 7.30am and 6.30pm on these days. 

These operators running a limited service on the strike days are: Avanti West Coast, c2c, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Eurostar, Grand Central, Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Northern, ScotRail, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Stansted Express, Thameslink, TransPennine Express, Transport for Greater Manchester, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway.

Three operators say they will have no service on strike days – those being Gatwick Express, Caledonian Sleeper and Merseyrail. The only unaffected area is the Isle of Wight where the Island Line will run a normal service.

In London, the national rail strike means there will be a reduced service on the Overground and Elizabeth line on the three strike days. And the separate Tube strike tomorrow will likely cancel all Underground trains that day. 

Why is the rail strike taking place?

The strikes involve a row over pay, jobs and conditions. The RMT wants pay rises for workers that recognise the RPI rate of inflation, which is currently 11.1 per cent, and a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.

The union has claimed that Network Rail plans to cut jobs and reduce spending – with an impact on safety. It says that it is striking 'due to the inability of the rail employers to come to a negotiated settlement with RMT'. 

The RMT claims Network Rail and train operators have 'subjected their staff to multi-year pay freezes and plan to cut thousands of jobs', while also accusing the Government of 'abjectly failing in their responsibilities'.

But Network Rail and the Government say the union is unwilling to modernise work practices. Despite a pay freeze in 2021 – during the height of the pandemic – Network Rail has offered a rise of at least 2 per cent for 2022.

The context of the dispute is that railway bosses are proposing to make efficiency savings, especially as fewer passengers are travelling by train because of the pandemic, which has led to more people working from home. 

The Government is not involved in negotiations. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it is up to the unions and employers to negotiate pay and conditions, but Labour and the unions believe he should be taking part in talks. 

How much do train drivers get paid?

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said last week that train drivers have a median salary of £59,000 – compared to a nurse at £31,000 and a care worker at £21,000. He said the median salary within the rail sector as a whole is £44,000. However the RMT says the median salary of a rail member in its union is £31,000 - the same as a nurse.

Are more rail strikes planned after this week? 

Yes, there is the prospect of further strike action affecting the school summer holidays - and further warnings of more walkouts for the rest of the year if no deal is reached between the unions, rail operators and Network Rail.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) is balloting workers at Network Rail, Southeastern, Great Western Railway, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, Northern, LNER and c2c.

The Southeastern ballot closes on July 11 with the earliest possible action on July 25; while the Great Western Railway ends on July 12 before any action takes place from July 26. CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway and West Midlands Trains staff will be balloted for action until July 7, but no potential date for strike action has yet been set. 

Workers at c2c, LNER and Northern will be balloted until July 6, with the earliest potential date for strike action being July 20. The Avanti West Coast ballot began last Wednesday but no date for a walkout has been released.

In addition, RMT union boss Mick Lynch yesterday suggested the rail strikes could stretch into the autumn, warning: 'There are going to be many unions balloting across the country, because people can't take it anymore.'

Unite is balloting about 500 British Airways check-in staff at Heathrow Airport over a refusal to reverse a 10 per cent pandemic pay cut. If workers vote in favour, strikes are likely in July – potentially ruining summer holidays.

Can you work from home this week during the rail strike?

Lauren Harkin, partner in the employment law team at RWK Goodman, told the publication People Management that employers should try to accommodate reasonable requests by staff trying to get into work during the strikes – including allowing them to come in late or leave early, and fund overnight accommodation if necessary.

She said: 'Don't unreasonably discipline employees who are genuinely unable to make it to work or who are late. There are no legal requirements about what businesses must do, but thinking outside the box will be a key consideration for critical staff in certain industries.'

And Alan Price, chief executive of BrightHR, said companies should speak with workers and agree alternative arrangements, adding: 'Where this isn't possible, there is the option of enforcing annual leave – with correct notice – or asking staff to use accrued time off in lieu.'

Downing Street has said employers should allow staff to work from home during the strikes if possible, but that it is up to individuals to decide whether they can get in. A spokesman said: 'As during the pandemic, it obviously remains sensible for public and private-sector organisations to offer flexible working arrangements for some jobs.'

Train operators such as Govia Thameslink Railway - which manages Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express routes - have encouraged passengers to stay at home and only travel if 'absolutely necessary'. A GTR spokesman said: 'The pandemic has given people more options to work flexibly, which will help next week.'

Can I get a refund on my train ticket during the rail strike?

National Rail has confirmed that anyone who had booked a ticket for a service which has been cancelled, delayed or rescheduled will be entitled to a change or refund from the original retailer of their ticket.

If you have a ticket for travel on a strike day, you can use this ticket either on the day before the date on the ticket, or through and including the Monday and Tuesday of next week - excluding season tickets.

However, National Rail has warned of an exception in that if your ticket is for a journey that crosses London, it will not be valid on Underground services on an alternative date. Contact your ticket provider if this applies to you.

You may be able to use your ticket on another train company or an alternative route as disruption continues, with passengers advised to contact the train company they are due to travel with for more information.

Can season ticket holders get a refund for rail strike disruption?

Season ticket holders who choose not to travel on the three strike days can claim 100 per cent compensation for these days through the 'Delay Repay' scheme via the operator you were due to be travelling with.

​​​If you have purchased a season ticket but would like a full refund due to the strike action affecting your journey, you can apply for a refund from the original retailer of your ticket, but a fee of up to £10 could apply.

National Rail added: 'Refunds are calculated from the date you return your season ticket to the original retailer and will be the difference between the price you paid, and the cost of any ticket or tickets for the period for which you have used your season ticket, up to and including the date you request a refund.'

How will the rail strike impact the economy? 

The Centre for Economics and Business Research consultancy has calculated that 0.8 per cent of staff in Britain – more than 250,000 people – will not be able to get to work tomorrow and therefore be unable to work. 

It estimates that the strikes are likely to cost the economy at least £91million in staff absences. Some £45.1million  of this will be tomorrow, because of the greater number of commuters then and the separate Tube strike. 

How will the rail strike impact Glastonbury and other events?

More than half of the trains due to serve the Glastonbury Festival have been cancelled because of the rail strikes – with tens of thousands of revellers set to be forced to find alternative routes to the site in Pilton, Somerset.

There will be just five services from London Paddington to Castle Cary on Thursday, with a total of 24 between Wednesday and Friday. Before the strike was announced, 51 trains were expected to run over the three-day period.

Great Western Railway told passengers: 'We plan to maintain timetabled trains between Castle Cary and London Paddington throughout the course of the Glastonbury Festival. Some services might be subject to alterations to train times and we will be in contact with customers who have already booked seats on board those trains.'

National Express reported 'a significant increase in both inquiries and bookings' for people wanting to travel by coach instead. Most people travelling by rail to Glastonbury arrive at Castle Cary before catching a shuttle bus.

Other events affected this week include England's cricketers playing their third Test match against New Zealand at Headingley in Leeds from June 23 to 27, and the UK Athletics Championships running from Friday in Manchester.

There will also be by-elections in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton on Thursday, while Elton John and the Rolling Stones are playing BST Hyde Park gigs in London's Hyde Park on Friday and Saturday respectively.  

How will roads be affected by the rail strike?

Motorists are being warned to expect a surge in traffic as train passengers switch to road transport. The AA said that the worst affected roads are likely to be main motorway arteries, as well as rural and suburban areas.

Drivers in Scotland and Wales are expected to face long queues as most railway lines there will be closed during the industrial action tomorrow and on Thursday and Saturday. The M74, M8 and A9 in Scotland and the M4, A55, A5, and A483 in Wales could see severe traffic, according to the AA. 

An AA spokesman said: 'Generally we predict a big increase in traffic in Scotland, Wales and major routes across the UK. The impact will be slightly cushioned by record fuel prices deterring some and more commuters deciding to work from home but congestion will still be a problem.'

How will the rail strike impact the NHS?

Thousands of Britons are likely to miss appointments or operations because they will be unable to get to hospitals and surgeries, while the walkouts will also cause problems for doctors, nurses and other staff travelling to work.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said it was 'vital' that people sought appointments and treatment despite the disruption, adding: 'I am urging those who have appointments booked in to plan ahead and look at alternative options for getting to their GP practice or hospital if needed.'

The biggest concern is for hospitals in London because of the limited parking available for those who decide to drive in, and the Underground strike tomorrow making it even harder to travel. Both London Ambulance Service Trust and South Central Ambulance Service Foundation Trust are now on the highest level of alert.

How will schools be affected by the rail strike?

Families of pupils sitting exams this week have been advised to make alternative arrangements for getting to school during the rail strikes, which are expected to impact 17 GCSE and 22 A-level papers.

Tomorrow, pupils sitting GCSE history or dance with exam board AQA may be impacted by the strikes, while on Thursday those sitting GCSE physics papers could be affected. A-level pupils studying German, religious studies or maths with this board could be impacted by strike action tomorrow, while pupils sitting papers in A-level chemistry could experience disruptions to their journey to school on Thursday.

Headteachers have said families should look into alternative arrangements for getting their children to school to sit papers on time. Julie McCulloch, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'We are concerned about the potential impact on exam students of the industrial action affecting train services planned in June.

'The majority of students live local to schools and colleges and tend to take buses rather than trains so we are hopeful that the impact will be minimal. However, it is important that families are conscious of the industrial action and make alternative arrangements where students are reliant on train services.'

Headteachers have been told to relocate A-level and GCSE papers if they cannot go ahead in the exam hall and that exams may begin up to half an hour later than scheduled to mitigate disruption.

What train services are running during the rail strike this week?

Avanti West Coast

Avanti West Coast, which runs on the West Coast Main Line, says it plans to have one train per hour from London Euston to each of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston, with a limited service onwards to Glasgow.

These trains will operate during limited hours, with the first train of the day departing Euston just before 8am and the last train of the day from Euston departing mid-afternoon. The days either side of industrial action are also likely to be affected – particularly in the mornings, because services will start later.

There will be no Avanti West Coast services to North Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool and Edinburgh on strike days. Trains will not call at Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent or Runcorn, which will all be closed.

c2c 

On the c2c route, which runs between London and Essex, the operator will be running a reduced service from 7.30am to 6.30pm, equating to less than a third of normal service levels. This will consist of:

Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness via Laindon: Two trains per hour  Fenchurch Street to Pitsea via Rainham: Two trains per hour Ockendon or Chafford Hundred: No trains

The operator added that the days surrounding the strike action dates will also see disruption across its network, with 'services set to start running from around 6.30am with a full service planned to be in operation by 8am'. 

Caledonian Sleeper

All services on the overnight Caledonian Sleeper have been cancelled from today until Friday. The 7.50pm service tonight from Fort William to London Euston is the first of the operator's trains to be cancelled by the strike. 

Chiltern Railways

Chiltern Railways will run a 'very significantly reduced timetable' from Tuesday until Saturday, and services will finish earlier tonight and start later on Sunday. In addition, services will be unable to call at stations operated by London Underground on Tuesday due to the separate Tube strike.

The service will be extremely limited, with the following service pattern from Tuesday to Saturday:

Between Banbury - Birmingham: No trains in either direction Between London - Banbury: One train per hour in each direction Between London - Oxford: No trains in either direction Between London - Aylesbury via High Wycombe: One train per hour in each direction Between Aylesbury - Amersham: One train per hour in each direction (except Tuesday 21st June when there will be no service on this route) Between London – Aylesbury via Amersham (Metropolitan line): No trains in either direction.

There will be no Chiltern services north of Banbury, between Amersham and London on the Metropolitan line, or to Oxford, between Tuesday and Saturday. 

Services that do run will start much later and finish much earlier than normal. The service will start from around 7.30am, with morning trains not arriving in London until after 9am. In the afternoon, the last trains will be much earlier than normal, with the last trains from Marylebone running at the following times:

15:10 to Banbury 16:10 to Bicester North 16:45 to Aylesbury Vale Parkway via High Wycombe

CrossCountry

CrossCountry will run a significantly reduced service on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Days either side of the industrial action are also expected to be affected. Here are the route details for the three strike days:

Plymouth to Bristol Parkway: Limited service Southampton Central to Manchester Piccadilly: Limited service Birmingham New Street to Leicester: Limited service Birmingham New Street to Edinburgh: Limited service Birmingham New Street to Bristol or Cardiff Central: No service  Plymouth to Penzance: No service read more from dailymail.....