Over a year on from the start of the first national rail strikes since the 1980s, the dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions appears as intractable as ever. July sees the resumption of industrial action aimed at more than a dozen train operators by both main rail unions.
The unions say their members have not had a pay rise for four years and are demanding a decent, no-strings award that takes into account the high level of inflation.
Train operators and ministers – who must sign off any deal – say reforms are essential following the collapse of rail revenue, which they say is 30 per cent lower than before the Covid pandemic.
The train drivers’ union, Aslef, is mounting “action short of a strike” in the shape of an overtime ban from 3 to 8 July inclusive. Hundreds of trains are being cancelled each day.
Later in the month the biggest rail union, the RMT, will call 20,000 of its members out on strike. The walk-out is likely to cause widespread cancellations at the start of the main summer school holidays in England. Transport for Wales and ScotRail are not involved and will run normal services, but some of the affected operators usually run trains in Wales and Scotland.
Caught in the middle: the long-suffering passenger. Since June 2022, national rail strikes have caused problems for tens of millions of train passengers. Stoppages have been called frequently, causing massive disruption and making advance travel planning difficult.
These are the key questions and answers.
Who is taking industrial action, and when?
The RMT, which began striking on 21 June 2022, has called three more days of walk-outs in July: Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29.
The strikes, which the union says will see 20,000 workers walking out, are aimed at train firms contracted by the Department for Transport. They include the leading intercity operators:
- Avanti West Coast
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- LNER
- TransPennine Express
Most London commuter operators will be hit:
- C2C
- Greater Anglia
- GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
Operators focusing on the Midlands and north of England will be affected:
- Chiltern Railways
- Northern Trains
- West Midlands Trains
Aslef has banned overtime at the same train operators (except C2C) from Monday 3 to Saturday 8 July inclusive.
Why were those dates chosen?
Like any unions, the RMT and Aslef are seeking the biggest impact – ie to cause as much disruption as they can. Aslef’s overtime ban coincides with the first week of the Wimbledon tennis championships in southwest London.
The RMT union is targeting what are likely to be the busiest days of the month. Many families will be on the move at the start of school holidays on 20 and 22 July; those dates also fall during the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford in Manchester and the Open golf championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
The 29 July strike will hit journeys to and from holiday resorts as well as cricket fans travelling to London for the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval.
Nigel Harris, editor of Rail magazine, described the announcement as “monumentally depressing”.
How will the train drivers’ overtime ban affect travellers?
All train operators rely on a certain amount of overtime/rest-day working to operate their usual timetables. The impact of the Aslef action from 3 to 8 July will vary according to how much the individual train operator depends on overtime, and also staff sickness levels.
South Western Railway, which runs to and from Britain’s busiest rail station, London Waterloo, says: “Instead of making numerous short-notice amendments and cancellations to our standard timetabled services for this week, we have decided to provide greater certainty for our customers by creating an amended timetable that we have a high degree of confidence we can reliably and safely deliver each day.
“Overall, services will usually be reduced to hourly in off-peak periods with a small number of cancellations during the morning and evening peaks. Some first and last trains may also be cancelled.”
Normally Wimbledon station is served by trains from Waterloo roughly every three minutes; this frequency will be reduced during the first week of the tennis tournament.
GTR, the biggest rail firm involved by passenger numbers, is operating a reduced timetable throughout the Aslef action from 3 to 8 July.
No Gatwick Express will run, while Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink passengers will have fewer trains. The company says: “Services will be busier than usual, especially in peak hours. It’s likely you will need to queue and you may not be able to board your chosen service. You should allow extra time for your journey.”
TransPennine Express, the intercity operator in northern England and southern Scotland, says: “We expect some services to start later and finish earlier than usual, and some journeys may be altered late or on the day of travel.”
Most other operators say there should be little impact.
LNER says: “We expect to run a normal timetable during this time, however, it is possible there will be short-notice alterations and cancellations. Please check your full journey on the day of travel.”
CrossCountry says: “A small number of services may be subject to late-notice cancellation or amendment during this period.”
Why is Aslef taking industrial action?
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “Once again we find ourselves with no alternative but to take this action. We have continually come to the negotiating table in good faith, seeking to resolve the dispute.
“Sadly, it is clear from the actions of both the train operating companies and the government that they do not want an end to the dispute. Their goals appear to be to continue industrial strife and to do down our industry.
“We don’t want to inconvenience the public. We just want to see our members paid fairly during a cost of living crisis when inflation is running at above 10 per cent, and to not see our terms and conditions taken away.
“It’s time for the government and the companies to think again and look for a resolution.”
Why is the RMT striking?
The RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has described the latest offer from the train operators – represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) – as “substandard”. He said: “This latest phase of action will show the country just how important railway staff are to the running of the rail industry.
”The government continues to shackle the companies and will not allow them to put forward a package that can settle this dispute.
“RMT will continue its industrial campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement on pay, working conditions and job security.
The RMT has staged walk-outs on 28 days in the current wave of strikes, with Aslef stopping work on 13 previous occasions.
What is the likely effect of the RMT strike?
On each of the strike days, thousands of trains will be cancelled, wrecking travel plans for millions of passengers. Some lines will see no services, and where trains are running they are likely to start later, be less frequent and finish earlier than normal.
All operators are likely to run some trains. LNER will run a regular service on the East Coast main line between London and Edinburgh via Yorkshire and northeast England, while Avanti West Coast will be running a basic service, with one train an hour from each of Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow to London Euston.
Great Western Railway will run between London Paddington, South Wales (as far as Cardiff Central) and Devon.
Shorter distance services around the big cities are likely to be hard hit.
Passengers can expect normal service on:
- Caledonian Sleeper
- Grand Central
- Heathrow Express
- Hull Trains
- London Overground
- Lumo
- Merseyrail
- ScotRail
- Transport for Wales
Will airport trains run?
Gatwick, Luton, Birmingham and Manchester airports will have some trains.
Heathrow Airport is served by the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line, as well as the London Underground.
Stansted Airport is likely to have trains to and from London Liverpool Street every hour from around 7am until the evening.
Will Eurostar be affected?
No, but connections to and from the train operator’s main hub at London St Pancras International will be difficult because union members working for all three domestic train operators at the station (East Midlands Railway, Southeastern and Thameslink) serving the station will walk out.
What do the train operators say?
A spokesman for the RDG said: “More strikes are totally unnecessary. After a year of industrial action all the RMT has achieved is losing their members more money than they would have received in the pay offers they refused to put to put out to a vote, despite having agreed the terms with the negotiators the room.
“We have now made three offers that the RMT executive have blocked without a convincing explanation. We remain open to talks and we have said repeatedly that we want to give our people a pay rise.
“But until the union leadership and executive is united in what it wants and engages in good faith with the 30 per cent shortfall in revenue the industry is continuing to grapple with post-Covid, it is difficult to move forward.
“Sadly our staff, our customers and the communities across the country which rely on a thriving railway are the ones that are suffering as a result.”
What does the government say?
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “The RMT leadership’s decision to call strikes targeting two iconic international sporting events, as children and families begin their summer holidays, will disrupt people’s plans across the country.
“After a year of industrial action, passengers and rail workers alike are growing tired of union bosses playing politics with their lives.
“It’s high time the union leaders realised that strikes no longer have the impact they once did and are simply driving people away from the railway.”
Could the strikes be called off?
Such is the antipathy between the parties that it seems most unlikely.
I have a ticket booked for one of the strike days. What can I do?
Passengers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets can have their ticket refunded with no fee if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.
Train operators are likely to offer flexibility to travel on a wide range of non-strike days.
Passengers with season tickets who do not travel can claim compensation for the strike dates through Delay Repay.
What are the alternatives?
As always, long-distance coach operators – National Express, Megabus and Flixbus – will keep running, though seats are becoming scarce and fares are rising.
