More than 50,000 railway workers are going on strike this week due to disputes with Network Rail and 13 train operators over pay, jobs and conditions, rail union RMT has announced.
It will cause significant disruption to all train stations across the UK, including significant delays to some railway routes. Despite Network Rail providing backup staff, chief executive Andrew Haines said around 20 per cent of the usual train services will run.
Last-ditch talks failed to resolve the bitter dispute, with all sides blaming each other for the lack of progress.
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Much of Britain will have no passenger trains for the entire day, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and places such as Chester, Hull, Lincoln and Worcester. Pupils and parents are being urged to make an alternative plan for getting to school for A-level and GCSE exams.
Here's a breakdown of everything you need to know about how Greater Manchester will be affected by the train strikes at the end of the month.
When are the train strikes?
The three-day strike will take place all across the country's railway network on June 21, 23, and 25. In a separate dispute, London Underground RMT members will also be going on strike on June 21.
According to the union, 50,000 railway workers will go on strike on June 21 which will include staff from Network Rail and 13 operating companies and London Underground. On June 23 and 25, the union claims up to 40,000 workers will walk out including staff from Network Rail and 13 train operating companies.
Why the strikes are happening
The strikes will be going ahead due to pay disputes between RMT, Network Rail and train operating companies. It comes after some railway workers received a multiyear pay freeze alongside plans to cut thousands of jobs which the union claims will make railways 'unsafe'.
London Underground RMT are also going on strike over a separate dispute relating to pensions and job losses. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Railway workers have been treated appallingly and despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry with the support of the government has failed to take their concerns seriously.
"We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze when inflation is at 11.1pc and rising. Our union will now embark on a sustained campaign of industrial action which will shut down the railway system.
"Rail companies are making at least £500m a year in profits, whilst fat cat rail bosses have been paid millions during the Covid-19 pandemic. This unfairness is fuelling our members' anger and their determination to win a fair settlement.
"RMT is open to meaningful negotiations with rail bosses and ministers, but they will need to come up with new proposals to prevent months of disruption on our railways."
Which Greater Manchester routes will be affected
Many of Britain's train operators have announced how their services will operate during the strike. Here's a breakdown of the service changes affecting Greater Manchester over the three days:
Avanti West Coast
A limited service of around a quarter of the normal timetable will operate, and only between 8am and 6pm. A number of routes will not be served, such as to North Wales, Stoke and Edinburgh.
The operator has suspended ticket sales for travel between Tuesday and Sunday to “help reduce disruption and overcrowding”.
A statement on the Avanti West Coast website says: "Due to strike action by the RMT union, we’ll be operating a significantly reduced timetable on Tuesday 21 June, Thursday 23 June and Saturday 25 June. This means fewer trains will run and some stations and destinations will have no service on the strike days. Our services will also start later and end much earlier.
"These trains are expected to be very busy, so we strongly advise to only travel by rail if necessary on strike days. If not, please plan ahead as your journey will probably be severely disrupted. Train travel on days either side of the strike days is also likely to be affected.
"If you have tickets for travel from Tuesday 21 June to Sunday 26 June, you can use those tickets anytime between now and Monday 27 June. Alternatively, you can claim a full refund if you have tickets for travel on Tuesday 21 June to Sunday 26 June.
"To help reduce disruption and overcrowding, we’re suspending sales of tickets for the three strike dates (21, 23 and 25 June), and for the days after industrial action (22, 24 and 26 June). Once each day's timetable is confirmed and we know which trains are running, some Advance fares will be back on sale."
On schedule changes, it added: "On strike days (21, 23 and 25 June), we plan to run one train per hour from Euston to each of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston, with a limited service onwards to Glasgow.
"These trains will operate during limited hours, with the first train of the day departing Euston just before 8am and the last train of the day from Euston departing mid-afternoon.
"The days either side of industrial action are also likely to be affected – particularly in the mornings, as services will start later. The significantly reduced timetable will mean North Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool and Edinburgh have no Avanti West Coast services on strike days (21, 23 and 25 June).
"Trains will not be calling at Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent or Runcorn, so these stations will be closed on strike days."
CrossCountry
CrossCountry said: "Due to industrial action by RMT union we will run a significantly reduced service on Tuesday 21 June, Thursday 23 June and Saturday 25 June. Days either side of the industrial action are also expected to be affected.
"We have suspended Advance tickets for the three strike dates (21, 23 & 25 June), please continue to check our website and other train operator websites for updates.
"We will be permitting customers with a ticket on the dates Tuesday 21, Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June 2022 to travel the day before or the two proceeding days. If you have a ticket to travel on June 21, June 23 or June 25 this will now also be valid for travel up to and including 20 June. Also it is required to travel at a similar time to your original ticket, following any time restrictions associated with it.
"Customers with Anytime, Off-Peak or Advance tickets dated June 21, June 23 or June 25 are permitted to travel the day before and up to two days after the date on their ticket."
Revised timetables can be found on the CrossCountry website here.
Northern
Passengers are urged “not to travel” between Tuesday and Sunday as services will be suspended “on most routes” during strike days, and there will be a “significant impact” on non-strike days.
Northern said: "On strike days there will be extremely limited availability of both train crew and signalling staff and as such we will not be able to operate services on most routes. There will be no replacement buses or alternative travel provided.
"Unfortunately, as we will not be able to position our fleet how we normally would, the significant impact of the strike will also be felt on non-strike days. Therefore, we regrettably advise customers not to travel on any day from Tuesday 21st through to Sunday 26th June.’
"Where we are able to operate trains, services will be very limited, and trains will not start as early as normal and will finish much earlier than normal."
The following services will run a limited timetable on June 21, 23 and 25, which can be found on the Northern website here.
- Darlington - Saltburn
- Liverpool Lime Street - Alderley Edge
- York - Leeds
- Ilkley - Bradford FS - Leeds
- Skipton - Bradford FS - Leeds
- Leeds - Sheffield
- Leeds - Bradford FS
All other routes do not have a service on these days.
TransPennine Express
There will be a “significant reduction in available services” on strike days. Several stations will be closed, such as Middlesbrough, Scarborough and Selby. There will also be significant disruption on Wednesday and Friday.
TransPennine Express says the following stations will be completely closed with no services calling there on strike days:
- Yarm
- Scarborough
- Seamer
- Malton
- Selby
- Brough
- Hull (the bus station will remain open)
A limited service will run on the following routes:
- Manchester Airport - Preston
- Manchester Piccadilly - York
- Newcastle - Edinburgh
- Cleethorpes - Sheffield
Amended timetables can be found on the TransPennine Express website here.
Transport for Wales
The majority of lines will be closed on strike days, with reduced frequencies on those that remain open.
What Transport for Greater Manchester has said about the strikes
Transport for Greater Manchester has urged passengers to plan ahead for the week the rail strikes will take place as fewer services will be running. Those services that will be operating are expected to be extremely busy while some local operators such as Northern and Transpeninne Express are asking passengers not to travel with them.
TfGM is working with operators "to provide enhanced services across the bus and tam network, where possible". TfGM’s Head of Operations, Alex Cropper, said: “The message to avoid rail travel next week is very clear from train operators – meaning tens of thousands of displaced journeys in Greater Manchester alone.
“While we expect some of those to adapt their plans, such as by working from home, we expect there to still be many people, who might ordinarily use local train services, needing to get around. With the numbers of trips on our roads now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, any additional journeys by car are likely to add to congestion and delays, which is why we are working with other operators to put on as many additional services as possible.
“For shorter journeys please think about walking or cycling or, with thousands of free car parking spaces available at our park and ride sites local bus and Metrolink services offer a great alternative, However you plan to get around, our key bit of advice is to plan your journey in advance and allow extra time when travelling .”
How will Manchester Piccadilly and other train stations be affected?
On the strike dates, Manchester Piccadilly rail station will only be open from 7am to 7pm. However, Metrolink services will operate as normal with varied access being implemented during the strike.
Meanwhile, Stockport rail station will be closed on each of the three strike days, with commuters being unable to access or pass through the station, respectively. Transport for Greater Manchester has advised commuters to use Greek Street/King Street West instead as the underpass at Stockport will be unavailable.
Will the trams be running?
Transport for Greater Manchester has announced that some tram services will operate at different times due to the strike.
Services between Altrincham and Timperley will only operate from 7am to 7pm on the strike dates with a 12-minute frequency. The services will operate as follows:
- 6am to 7am - Piccadilly to Timperley only
- 7am to 7pm - Altrincham to Bury (every 12 minutes) and Piccadilly to Timperley (every 12 minutes)
- 7pm to midnight - Piccadilly to Timperley only
A replacement bus service will be operating between Timperley and Altrincham before 7am and 7pm.
On the three strike dates, Picadilly's tram stop located at the rail station will only be open 7am to 7pm. While the Metrolink will operate as normal, access to the Picadilly tram stop will change.
Commuters will only be able to access the stop via the walkway adjacent to the taxi pick up point on Fairfield Street, with level access to the Manchester bound platform and the Ashton bound platform via the track crossing next to Fairfield street.
Will buses be running?
Bus services will operate normally during the strike. Transport for Greater Manchester announced that no ticket acceptance will be in place during the strike - a separate bus ticket for the journey will need to be bought.
Here are some alternative routes suggested by Transport for Greater Manchester:
Hazel Grove Park and Ride - Stockport
The 192 service departs at Macclesfield Road / Hazel Grove Park & Ride (Stop D) and takes less than hour to Manchester City Centre. This service runs every 10 minutes.
Guided Busway Leigh Park and Ride - Leigh
The V1 service departs from Leigh Bus Station and takes 45 minutes to Manchester City Centre. This service runs every 20 minutes.
Guided Busway Tyldesley Park and Ride - Tyldesley
The V1 and V2 services depart at Mosley Common, Guideway / near Sale Lane and take under 40 minutes to Manchester City Centre. Both services run every 10 minutes.
Guided Busway Wardley Park and Ride - East Lancs
The V1 and V2 services depart Roe Green, East Lancs Road / Park & Ride (Stop C) bus stop and take under 25 minutes to Manchester City Centre. Both services run every 10 minutes.
Parking around Manchester during the strikes
TfGM expects congestion around Greater Manchester to be worse than usual due to the strikes as fewer people are likely to use public transport. Because of this, it is encouraging people to use park and ride sites in Greater Manchester where commuters can leave their car for part of their journey and use the tram into the city centre.
Here's a list of some of the largest Park and Ride sites all across Greater Manchester:
Derker - 235 spaces
East Didsbury - 278 spaces
Hazel Grove - 400 spaces
Oldham - 238 spaces
Radcliffe - 480 spaces
Rochdale - 202 spaces
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