Great Britain’s railways will grind to a halt on Wednesday in the latest round of strikes.
More than 40,000 rail workers belonging to the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are taking part in a further day of nationwide strike action, following three days of strikes in June.
RMT members at more than a dozen train companies and at Network Rail will strike for 24 hours, affecting the rail network across England, Scotland and Wales, while parts of London’s transport network will also be disrupted.
What Network Rail calls a “very limited timetable” will be in place, as only about a fifth of rail services will be running, while some parts of the country will have no service at all.
Which lines will be affected and how?
Workers at 14 train operating companies are involved in the strike, meaning vast parts of Britain’s rail network will be affected.
Along with Network Rail, the companies involved in the RMT strikes are: Avanti West Coast; c2c; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR (including Gatwick Express); LNER; Northern; Southeastern; South Western Railway; TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.
Trains running on the day will start later than usual at 7.30am and finish much earlier at 6.30pm.
Commuters in and around the capital will also be affected because Transport for London (TfL) uses some sections of track that come under Network Rail’s jurisdiction.
TfL has already warned it is expecting disruption on the Elizabeth line and the London Overground network, both of which will have reduced services, as well as on parts of the District and Bakerloo tube lines.
Disruption is expected to continue across the entire rail network into Thursday morning.
What is the impact of a midweek strike?
Network Rail has warned passengers to travel by rail only if necessary on Wednesday.
Commuters are among those likely to be most affected, as employees are more likely to travel to their workplaces in the middle of the week.
The strike also comes during the school holidays and as people want to get away for summer.
I have a ticket but my train has been cancelled or moved to a different time – what are my rights?
If a train serving any part of your journey (outbound or return) has been cancelled or rescheduled you are entitled to a full refund from wherever you bought the ticket. There should be no fee for this. The National Rail website has a dedicated advice section for affected travellers which is a good place to start, while MoneySavingExpert also has a guide on how to claim.
Can I travel on another day?
Yes. If you have an advance, off-peak or anytime ticket for the day of the strike it will be valid for travel up to and including Tuesday 2 August. There is no need to change the date on the ticket. However, you should double-check the train company’s website as there are some exceptions. Avanti West Coast, for example, has given customers with tickets for travel from 26 to 28 July until 29 July to travel.
… or travel on another train service?
If you really need to travel on one of the strike days it may be possible to switch train companies or routes but your options will be limited. A revised timetable has been published and you should contact the relevant train company to find out your options.
I have a season ticket – will I be entitled to a full refund?
Only if your season ticket is valid for a month or longer. If that is the case, you can apply for a full refund for the strike days via the industry’s delay repay compensation scheme.
What if I bought my ticket through a third party like Trainline?
Trainline said it would contact customers with an online refund for cancelled or rescheduled trains. If your train is unaffected by the strikes but your plans have changed, you can reschedule your journey at no cost or cancel it, but there may be admin fees.
What is the dispute about?
The latest strikes are part of an ongoing dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. They follow the strikes in late June, when action by RMT members brought large parts of the network to a halt.
Union leaders announced the latest strike after rejecting a new offer from Network Rail, which they described as “paltry”.
The state-owned company, which runs the rail infrastructure and most large stations in Great Britain, offered workers a 4% pay rise for the whole of 2022, followed by a possible further 4% in the new year, provided workers accepted changes in their working conditions.
However, the RMT has called this “attacks on their terms and conditions”.
Which unions are taking part in strike action?
Alongside the strike by RMT members there will also be action by members of the smaller Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) who work for Avanti West Coast.
TSSA members who work in a variety of roles, including ticket office and station staff, will join the strike on Wednesday. Members are also expecting to hold a picket at London Euston station and at Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Birmingham International and Coventry stations.
What strike action is expected to take place later this summer?
Further rail strikes are already planned for the coming weeks in what is looking like a summer of discontent.
About 6,000 train drivers belonging to the Aslef union across eight train companies will join the rail dispute when they strike on 30 July.
A repeat of Wednesday’s action by RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train companies is planned for 18 and 20 August. Tube workers will also take strike action again on 19 August.
Pilots at British Airways are threatening to strike over pay, spelling more disruption for passengers after weeks of flight cancellations and lengthy queues at airports.
