Only select lines will be running in Wales today (August 18) due to rail strikes. The National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) and the TSSA union are striking on Thursday, August 18, and Saturday, August 20, which means there will be severe disruption to rail travel across the UK.
Transport for Wales (TfW) staff are not involved in the strike. This dispute is between the RMT union and both Network Rail and a number of English-based train operators, however, this means TfW will be unable to operate rail services on Network Rail infrastructure.
Only around 10% of Welsh services will be in motion during the strikes, namely a reduced service on the Merthyr Tydfil line, Aberdare line, Rhymney line, and Treherbet line. Rail replacements will also cover Cardiff to Bristol.
Here's a breakdown across every rail network
Thursday, August 18
Transport for Wales
The only services operating will be on the Core Valleys Lines in South Wales and a Cardiff to Newport shuttle, with one train operating hourly in each direction, between 7.30am and 6.30pm. No other TfW services across Wales and the Borders network will be able to operate.
Train services will operate between Cardiff Central and Rhymney, Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil in an hourly service in each direction between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
Trains will be able to operate between Radyr and Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil before 7.30am and after 6.30pm but only up to 8.30pm due to engineering work). Road transport will enable customers to travel between Cardiff Central and Radyr in each direction outside of these hours. However, customers are advised there will be extremely limited road transport capacity and all train and road transport services are expected to be extremely busy due to the reduced service frequency.
Great Western Railway
A significantly limited service will operate please make alternative travel arrangements and only travel if absolutely necessary.
No rail services will operate on the South Wales main line (Carmarthen/Swansea–Cardiff Central).
There are also no services on:
- Berks & Hants line (Reading to Taunton via Castle Cary)
- Wessex main line (Bath Spa to Portsmouth Harbour)
- Heart of Wessex line (Westbury to Weymouth)
- TransWilts line (Swindon to Westbury via Melksham)
- Severn Beach line (Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach)
- North Cotswolds line (Hereford/Worcester to Oxford)
- South Cotswolds line (Cheltenham Spa to Swindon)
- Worcester/Gloucester
- Greenford branch line
- North Downs line (Reading to Gatwick Airport)
Avanti West Coast
North Wales will have no Avanti West Coast services due to a significantly reduced timetable. The advice is: "The significantly reduced timetable on 18 and 20 August will mean North Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool and Edinburgh have no Avanti West Coast services, and trains will not be calling at Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent or Runcorn, so these stations will be closed." See all details here.
CrossCountry
No service is planned between Birmingham New Street and Cardiff Central on this day.
Friday, August 19
Transport for Wales
Due to the shift patterns of Network Rail’s signallers and the significant challenges moving trains and crew to operate between strike days there is likely to be disruption. Expect services to be busy with some disruption to early morning and late evening services.
The first services of the day that depart Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil will all be timed so they will be arriving into Radyr after 7am. No trains run before 7am on any lines except between Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil – Radyr.
No pre-planned road transport services will be in operation before 18:30 hours on Core Valley lines. Services are likely to be much busier than usual – particularly the first services of the day. No trains will run before 7am on all other TfW services.
TfW says: "Only travel by rail if necessary. Expect services to be busy with some disruption to early morning and late evening services."
Great Western Railway
Trains will continue to be disrupted, please make alternative travel arrangements and only travel if absolutely necessary.
Trains will start later and there will be a reduced level of service throughout the day. So the advice is to check before you travel.
Avanti West Coast
You are advised to check before travel. See all details here.
CrossCountry
No service is planned between Birmingham New Street and Cardiff Central on this day.
Saturday, August 20
Transport for Wales
No rail services - do not travel by train unless you need essential travel on a reduced service between Cardiff Central to Merthyr Tydfil/Aberdare/Treherbert/Rhymney. There will also be an hourly Cardiff to Newport service. Timetabled rail replacement buses will also not run.
Great Western Railway
An extremely limited service operate. Services will start later and finish much earlier than normal. There will be no services between Cardiff and Bath or on the South Wales main line (Carmarthen/Swansea to Cardiff Central).
No rail services will also operate on the following routes:
- Between Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
- Between Bristol and Gloucester
- Between Bristol and Exeter
- All lines in Cornwall, including all branch lines
- West of Newton Abbot (change at Exeter) towards Plymouth/Cornwall
- All branch lines in Devon (Barnstaple, Exmouth, Paignton, Okehampton)
- Berks & Hants line (Reading–Taunton via Castle Cary)
- Wessex main line (Bath Spa–Portsmouth Harbour)
- Heart of Wessex line (Westbury–Weymouth)
- TransWilts line (Swindon–Westbury via Melksham)
- Severn Beach line (Bristol Temple Meads–Severn Beach)
- North Cotswolds line (Hereford/Worcester to Oxford)
- South Cotswolds line (Cheltenham Spa to Swindon)
- Worcester/Gloucester
- Greenford branch line
- North Downs line (Reading to Gatwick Airport)
Avanti West Coast
North Wales will have no Avanti West Coast services due to a significantly reduced timetable. The advice is: "The significantly reduced timetable on 18 and 20 August will mean North Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool and Edinburgh have no Avanti West Coast services, and trains will not be calling at Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent or Runcorn, so these stations will be closed." See all details here.
One train per hour will run from Euston to each of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston, with a limited service onwards to Glasgow.
CrossCountry
No service is planned between Birmingham New Street and Cardiff Central on this day.
Sunday, August 21
Transport for Wales
Only travel by rail if necessary. Expect services to be busy with some disruption to early morning services
Great Western Railway
Trains will start later, however a normal level of service is expected. Please check before you travel.
Avanti West Coast
Check before travel. See all details here.
CrossCountry
There is engineering work and road transport will operate between Gloucester and Newport.
Monday, August 22
Transport for Wales services
Normal timetable but services could be busier than usual.
Great Western Railway
Avanti West Coast
There is a reduced timetable. See all details here.
What do I do if I already have tickets?
Check with your individual operator. Transport for Wales says advance ticket holders are entitled to change their journey and the change of journey fees should be waived if applied before 6pm the day before travel. You're still able to change your tickets after this time, and up until the departure, but a change of journey fee of £10 will apply to each ticket changed. Customers with anytime, off-peak or advance tickets, also ranger/rover tickets dated for August 13 are permitted to travel either on the day before the date on the ticket or up to Tuesday, August 16. This includes customers using the return portion dated up to August 13.
If you have a return ticket and cannot make your outward journey because of a strike, you're permitted a refund on your ticket even if the latter is not affected by a strike. The same applies if the return journey is affected by a strike but the outward was not. Alternatively, customers can claim a full refund, with no admin fee charged. Season ticket holders can apply for compensation via Delay Repay.
GWR has its full guidance here. Customers who have already purchased tickets for strike days can claim a full refund or amend their ticket; those who travel and are delayed may be entitled to delay repay compensation if they are delayed by 15 minutes or more. Season ticket holders can apply for compensation through the Delay Repay scheme. Where they can run services, they are expected to be extremely busy and there will be no bus replacement services.
Avanti say anyone with tickets for 18 to 21 August can claim a full refund from their point of purchase. Any customers with existing tickets for travel from 18 to 21 August can use those tickets anytime between now and August 23.
Cross Country's policy is here. You can change the time and date of your tickets, or get a refund as a voucher if you make this request or change your journey before 6pm on the day before you travel. There is no admin fee.
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