Train services are being hit by more strike action. Members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at train operators will walk out in long-running disputes on Friday and Saturday respectively.
It means fewer trains will run, with none at all on some routes. In some cases services will only operate between certain stations. The RMT announced a strike against train companies on May 13, the day of the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the overwhelming backing for further strike action across 14 train operating companies was a “de-facto referendum” on the dispute. It is clear from these results that members are not prepared to accept a pay offer based on mass job cuts and major attacks on their terms and conditions.
“This sends a clear message to the employers that the huge anger amongst rail workers is very real and they need to recognise that fact, face reality and make improved proposals. They need to get around the table with RMT and negotiate in good faith for a better deal for rail workers.”
Responding to the vote, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “I’m disappointed by the RMT’s decision to continue taking industrial action. Train companies put forward a fair and reasonable pay offer which the RMT’s executive have refused to consult their members on, despite members working for Network Rail voting overwhelmingly to accept it earlier this year.
“The Rail Delivery Group’s best and final offer guarantees employees a fair and reasonable pay rise, while delivering the reforms needed to address the long-term challenges facing the industry.”
Here is a breakdown of each operator’s plan for strike days:
Avanti West Coast
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: Fewer trains than normal will run and only between 7am and 7pm, with the exception of some services to and from Liverpool which is hosting the Eurovision song contest.
c2c
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: No major impact but all services will run to/from London Fenchurch Street and will not call at London Liverpool Street or Stratford.
Caledonian Sleeper
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: The Caledonian Sleeper does not operate on Saturday nights.
Chiltern Railways
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: No trains will run north of Banbury. Services that do run will be limited to one train per hour in both directions between London Marylebone and each of Banbury, Oxford and Aylesbury via Amersham, and only between around 9am and 9pm.
CrossCountry
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: No direct services will run to or from Birmingham New Street and locations such as Aberdeen, Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow, Nottingham and Stansted Airport. Services that do run will only operate between 7am and 7pm.
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East Midlands Railway
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: Services will run between 7am and 7pm. They will be limited to just one train per hour in each direction between London St Pancras and each of Nottingham, Sheffield and Corby, as well as a handful of regional routes such as between Derby and Matlock.
Elizabeth line
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: The Elizabeth line is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but there will be some alterations to its services. These include no trains between Maidenhead and Reading before 7am or after 7pm.
Gatwick Express
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: No trains but Southern and Thameslink will serve Gatwick Airport.
Grand Central
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: Grand Central is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but there will be minor alterations to its services.
Great Northern
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm. There will be no trains between Ely and King’s Lynn.
Great Western Railway
Friday: A limited service will run and only between 7.30am and 6.30pm. The only open routes will be between: London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads; Reading and Didcot; Reading and Basingstoke; Reading and Redhill; Westbury and Swindon; Cardiff and Bristol; and Plymouth and Gunnislake.
The Night Riviera sleeper service has been cancelled.
Saturday: A limited service will run and only between 7.30am and 6.30pm. More routes will be open compared with Friday, including additions such as between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway; London Paddington and Cardiff; Slough and Windsor; and Penzance and Plymouth.
Greater Anglia
Friday: A reduced service will run and only between London Liverpool Street and each of Cambridge, Norwich, Southend and Stansted Airport.
Saturday: Trains will run between 7am and 11pm. Some routes will have a reduced frequency, but most will have a normal or near normal service.
Heathrow Express
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: No trains after 9pm.
Hull Trains
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: Usual timetable.
London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
Friday and Saturday: A limited timetable will operate and only between London King’s Cross and both Edinburgh and Leeds.
London Northwestern Railway
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm. The only open routes will be between Birmingham New Street and each of London Euston, Birmingham International and Liverpool Lime Street.
London Overground
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: London Overground is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but there will be minor alterations to some of its services.
Lumo
Friday and Saturday: Usual timetable.
Merseyrail
Friday and Saturday: No impact from the strikes. Additional services will run due to Eurovision.
Northern
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A limited service will run and only between 8am and 5pm. Only a handful of routes will be open, such as between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester; Leeds and York; and Darlington and Saltburn.
ScotRail
Friday and Saturday: Usual timetable.
South Western Railway
Friday: No trains on the Isle of Wight. Services will be reduced between London Waterloo and Exeter, in the Romsey area and on the suburban network.
Saturday: A reduced service will operate and only between 7am and 7pm. The only open routes will be between London Waterloo and each of Windsor via Hounslow; Windsor via Richmond; Woking; and Basingstoke; between Basingstoke and Salisbury; and on the Isle of Wight
Southeastern
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A reduced service will operate, with only 58 out of 180 stations open. Trains that do run will be busier than normal, and services are likely to start later and finish earlier than usual.
Southern
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A reduced service will operate. No trains will run between Hemel Hempstead and Clapham Junction; London Bridge and Norwood Junction; Southampton Central and Barnham; and Eastbourne and Ashford International.
Stansted Express
Friday: Frequencies will be halved to one train per hour in each direction.
Saturday: Frequencies will be halved to one per hour in each direction, and trains will start later and finish earlier than normal.
Thameslink
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: Services will be split north and south, with nothing running between London St Pancras and London Blackfriars.
TransPennine Express
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A reduced timetable will operate and only between Liverpool Lime Street and each of Huddersfield, Preston and Sheffield, and between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.
Transport for Wales
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: Transport for Wales is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but some of its services will be disrupted. Several stations such as Birmingham International, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly will only be open for services between 7am and 7pm.
West Midlands Railway
Friday: No trains.
Saturday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm. The only open routes will be between Birmingham New Street and each of Wolverhampton, Rugeley Trent Valley and Lichfield Trent Valley; between Kidderminster and Whitlocks End/Dorridge; and between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town.
