Train strikes are set to hit the rail network in the North East and across Britain over three days in October.
Three unions so far have confirmed new dates for the strikes they postponed following the Queen's death. ASLEF, which represents train drivers, will strike on Saturday October 1 and Wednesday October 5. The RMT - which mostly represents station and train staff like ticket collectors and cleaners - will also strike on October 1, then again a week later on Saturday October 8.
The TSSA union has also confirmed new strike dates on October 1 and October 5, including members who work for LNER, Network Rail and Transpennine Express.
Staff working onboard LNER, TransPennineExpress, CrossCountry and Northern Rail will be involved in the strikes. Those four operators all run trains through the Newcastle Central Station and other towns and cities in the North East on the East Coast Mainline and local routes. Stations affected include Berwick, Alnmouth, Morpeth, Hexham, Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland, and Darlington.
Read more: Train strike hits Newcastle United fans travelling to London for Fulham away day
Tyne Wear Metro staff are not striking, but its service will be affected by the RMT's walkout, as that includes staff from Network Rail who operate signals on sections of the track the Metro shares with the National Rail network between Pelaw and South Hylton via Sunderland. Lumo employees are not set to strike but its services may still be affected by Network Rail staff walking out.
Drivers for 12 companies will take part in ASLEF's strike. Staff working for Network Rail and 14 operators will walk out in the RMT's industrial action.
How and when rail strikes affect Newcastle and stations in the North East in October 2022
ASLEF will strike on October 1 and October 5. The RMT join them on October 1 and will strike again on October 8. The TSSA strike in the North East on October 1 and October 5.
The three unions represent striking staff who work for four major rail operators that serve stations in the North East: LNER, CrossCountry and TransPennine all run inter-city routes, while Northern operates commuter and local services linking towns and villages in Northumberland and County Durham with Newcastle and Sunderland
Essentially, every station in the North East will be affected by the strikes. The last time the RMT went on strike, in August, around one in five trains operated nationwide.
Even companies whose staff are not striking - such as Lumo and Grand Central - will likely have to alter timetables due to Network Rail employees going on strike. The Tyne-Wear Metro has confirmed there will be no trains between Pelaw and South Shields - via Sunderland - on October 1 and October 8.
Nexus said: "Tyne and Wear Metro employees are not taking industrial action, but there will be an impact on Metro services operating between Pelaw and South Hylton because this stretch of line is part of the national rail network which is owned and managed by Network Rail. If Network Rail does not have enough people at work to operate signals then train services cannot run."
There are also no trains between Pelaw and South Shields until December 3 due to engineering work.
The October 1 and October 8 strikes will affect train services for fans heading to football matches. Thousands of Newcastle fans will be travelling to London to watch their team play Fulham on October 1, while on the same day tens of thousands of Sunderland fans will be going to the Stadium of Light for a home match v Preston..
Newcastle have a home match against Brentford on Saturday October 8. Sunderland are away at Swansea City, in South Wales, on the same day.
Who is taking part in rail strike on Saturday October 1
On Saturday October 1, train drivers represented by the ASLEF union working at the following companies will go on strike. Those in bold operate trains in the North East of England.
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- Greater Anglia
- Great Western Railway
- Hull Trains
- LNER
- London Overground
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
Station, train and railway staff who are members of the RMT union working for the following companies will also strike on Saturday October 1. Those in bold affect services in the North East.
- Network Rail
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry Trains
- Greater Anglia,
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- c2c
- Great Western
- Northern Trains
- South Eastern
- South Western
- Transpennine Express
- Avanti West Coast
- West Midlands Trains
- GTR (including Gatwick Express
The Transport Salaries Staff Association (TSSA) union will also strike on October 1, including members who work for LNER, Network Rail and Transpennine Express .
Who is taking part in train strike on Wednesday October 5
ASLEF is due to strike again on October 5. That affects train drivers for the following companies. Those in bold operate trains in the North East of England.
Avanti West Coast
Chiltern Railways
CrossCountry
Greater Anglia
Great Western Railway
Hull Trains
LNER
London Overground
Northern Trains
Southeastern
TransPennine Express
West Midlands Trains
The Transport Salaries Staff Association (TSSA) union staff who work for CrossCountry will also strike on October 5.
Who is taking part in train strike on Saturday October 8
Station, train and railway staff who are members of the RMT union working for the following companies will also strike on Saturday October 1. Those in bold affect services in the North East.
- Network Rail
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry Trains
- Greater Anglia,
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- c2c
- Great Western
- Northern Trains
- South Eastern
- South Western
- Transpennine Express
- Avanti West Coast
- West Midlands Trains
- GTR (including Gatwick Express
Why are train drivers and staff striking?
ASLEF says its drivers have not had a pay rise in three years.
ASLEF states: "Train drivers who kept the country moving through the pandemic have not had a pay increase since 2019. We are asking for pay which keeps pace with the cost of living.
ASLEF says with inflation at "about 12%" (inflation for groceries hit 12% earlier in September) drivers "are being asked to take a real terms pay cut, while the companies expect us to work just as hard and for just as long."
The RMT says staff are striking over pay, jobs and conditions. Former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says they were offered the equivalent of an 8% pay rise over two years. The RMT also opposes job cuts and changes to working practices.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Transport workers are joining a wave of strike action on October 1st, sending a clear message to the government and employers that working people will not accept continued attacks on pay and working conditions at a time when big business profits are at an all-time high.
"The summer of solidarity we have seen will continue into the autumn and winter if employers and the government continue to refuse workers reasonable demands.
"We want a settlement to these disputes where our members and their families can get a square deal. And we will not rest until we get a satisfactory outcome."
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “These strikes will once again hugely inconvenience the very passengers the industry needs to support its recovery from the ongoing impact of the pandemic. They range from those left out of pocket because they can’t get to work, to people missing vital appointments and to thousands of London marathon participants, who, after months of training, will have their journeys to London disrupted at the weekend.
“The strikes are not in the long-term interests of rail workers or building a sustainable rail industry. We want to give our people a pay rise, but without the reforms we are proposing, we simply cannot deliver pay increases. Revenue is still around 80% of pre-pandemic levels, no business can survive that scale of upheaval without implementing change.
“The actions of union leaders have very real consequences: every strike day takes more money out of their members’ pockets. We want to see the industry and its people thrive – we are asking the unions’ leadership to do the right thing, call off these damaging strikes and work with us to make that happen.”
TSSA is seeking a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, a pay rise which meets the cost-of-living crisis and no unagreed changes to terms and conditions.
TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, said: “We do not take this action lightly.
"We would much rather find a fair negotiated solution to this now long-running dispute, but we simply have no choice.
"A huge number of rail workers in our union, many of whom are longstanding members, had never been directly involved in an industrial dispute before this year.
"Across our railways, our members recently stepped up to the plate yet again and went above and beyond to meet unprecedented demand during the period of public mourning to provide additional services and keep the public safe, much like they did during the pandemic. They prove their worth time and time again and yet they are still undervalued.
"We can only hope the new Secretary of State for Transport can see sense where her predecessor could not. She has the power to mandate a fair pay rise, reasonable terms and conditions and end this dispute. It is time for Train Operators to meet us round the table and reach fair solutions.”
