Millions of people are expected to face travel disruption as the biggest rail strike for 30 years takes place this week causing delays and cancellations across the UK. Nottingham is set to see strikes from East Midlands Railway, Cross Country and Northern Rail which all serve passengers at Nottingham Station.
Last minute talks are being held between unions and rail bosses but the walkouts on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are still expected as well as disruption on non-strike days. It has left Nottingham rail passengers feeling "worried".
A couple from West Bridgford who wished not to be named said they are worried about the strikes affecting them as they need to travel on Friday. They said: "We are hoping it won't affect us, we are flying to America on Friday so we are getting the train from Nottingham to St Pancras to get to Heathrow.
Read more: What East Midlands Railway plans to do ahead of upcoming train strikes
"With the way things are going, I do not think anyone can expect to get a pay rise. It is a tricky one, but I have never been one for strikes. I was a teacher for years and never went on strike. The only bit I am worried about is getting to London not the flights."
Stewart Williams travelled to Nottingham from Swindon for work. He said: "It does not affect me, I am travelling right in the middle of the strikes so I should be okay."
He added about the walkout: "It is freedom of speech really." A couple have had to cancel their journey because of the strike action and are now unable to attend their grandson's graduation.
Mrs Mennie, who is retired and now lives in Spain, travelled to Nottingham to visit her son and had planned to take a trip up to Scotland. She said: "It's dreadful, I have come over from Spain to see my grandson's graduation and I have been told not to travel.
"Everyone is struggling for money, I have no sympathy at the moment. I have come to the station today to sort it out but you have to go online to get your refund.
"We have not seen him [her grandson] in three years and this is his primary graduation. The issue is they cannot promise us the train back and now we are not going to travel."
Emily, general manager of the Beer HeadZ which is in Nottingham Station said: "As we are the train station bar, I imagine it will impact us. But I also know that some trains are still running and so we are going to be open. We are not changing anything in the business for those days."
Nottingham Station is also home to multiple coffee shops and cafes including Costa. A Costa Coffee spokesperson said: “We can confirm the Costa Coffee store at Nottingham Railway Station will remain open but will operate with slightly reduced hours on the 21, 23 and 25 June. The store will be open from 7am to 5pm.”
The new HMRC building opposite Nottingham Station holds thousands of staff and many travel by train. A HMRC spokesperson said:
“HMRC’s offices around the UK remain open this week for colleagues who wish to attend in person. Due to the rail strikes, we have encouraged colleagues to speak to their managers to discuss attendance and we expect them to agree what is most sensible based on their individual circumstances. All HMRC staff are equipped with IT in order to continue to work and deliver if they are at home.”
Almost all rail lines in England, Scotland and Wales will be affected as members of the RMT Union walkout, including everyone from guards and catering staff to signallers and track maintenance workers.
The RMT Union is striking over job cuts, pay and conditions. East Midlands Railway told customers to travel only if absolutley necessary on strike and non-strike days this week.
On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday EMR services will only operate between the hours of 7:30am to 6:30pm. There will be one train per hour between Nottingham and London on those days.
EMR are running one train per hour between Derby and Nottingham, Leicester and Nottingham and Nottingham and Sheffield. All other routes will be closed and no rail replacement busses will be provided.
Will Rogers, Managing Director for EMR said: “We are extremely disappointed the RMT have decided to strike on the 21, 23 and 25 June. This is the wrong decision for the railway and communities we serve.
“There will be changes to our normal timetable and some parts of our network will have no train services on strike days and other lines will have a reduced level of service. I would urge all customers to think carefully about their journeys next week – and make alternative arrangements if possible.”
Northern Rail will not be opertating services from Nottingham on strike days and have offered a skeleton service between 8am and 6pm on select routes. Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We’ve done everything we can to offer people across the North of England a skeleton service – but our advice remains not to travel.
"We apologise in advance for the disruption and inconvenience that the RMT’s industrial action will cause. We continue to be keen to speak to the RMT to find a resolution and avoid any future strikes.”
CrossCountry are not serving Nottingham station and are only running a limited service elsewhere between 7:30am and 6:30pm on those days. A CrossCountry spokesperson said: “We are of course disappointed by this unnecessary action and are sorry for the inconvenience it will cause. We are working with industry partners to offer the best service possible despite the actions of the RMT.
“We strongly advise passengers to avoid travelling by rail wherever possible during this time and make alternative arrangements. If travel by train is essential, we urge customers to allow significant extra time and check their journey details on our website in advance. EMR is operating an hourly service between Nottingham and Derby, which means CrossCountry customers can change trains at Derby to complete their journey.
“Customers with tickets for June 21, June 23 or June 25 are able to travel the day before and up to two days after the date on their ticket or seek a refund.”
In a statement RMT said: "In the past few weeks, discussions have been taking place at senior level with Network Rail, Train Operators and London Underground. Despite the best efforts of our negotiators no viable settlements to the disputes have been created.
"It has to be re-stated that the source of these disputes is the decision by the Tory Government to cut £4bn of funding from our transport systems - £2bn from national rail and £2bn from Transport for London."
They added: "We want a transport system that operates for the benefit of the people, for the needs of society and our environment – not for private profit. Every worker in Britain deserves a pay rise that reflects the cost-of-living crises.
"All working people should have the benefit of good negotiated terms, conditions, working practices and occupational pensions that will ensure their living standards in retirement. RMT remains available for discussions that will settle this dispute and ensure our transport system can operate without disruption."
