The last train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly will depart at just before 3pm on the three days of rail strike action next week, Network Rail has revealed. The exact departure time is 2.56pm, with the final train from Manchester to London running at 2.47pm on the three days.
The first train from Euston to Manchester is scheduled for 8.40am over the three days, with the first train from Piccadilly to Euston set for 7.56am. Avanti West Coast, which runs trains to London from Manchester and back, has published revised timetables for next Tuesday and Thursday, with further updates expected for Saturday.
The rail operator said as part of contingency plans, it expects to run one train per hour from Euston to each of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston, with a limited service to Glasgow.
And it confirmed that due to a 'different signalling system' in use on some parts of the West Coast Main Line, trains are unable to stop at Macclesfield, Stockport, Runcorn and Stoke-on-Trent on the strike days, with those stations closing. Due to what has been described as 'operational reason', Avanti West Coat said it wouldn't be able to serve Wilmslow either.
Managing Director Phil Whittingham said: "We are disappointed with the decision to go on strike, which we believe is premature and will cause untold misery for customers. We would urge the RMT not to press ahead with industrial action and to work with us on securing the long-term future for the rail service.
"We’ll be running an amended timetable on strike days with fully-trained staff onboard and at stations across our network for our customers, but we’ll be operating a significantly reduced service. As a result, our trains may be very busy and destinations will be served less frequently, if at all. We're strongly advising customers to only travel where absolutely necessary on our route on strike days and instead make their journeys on alternative days or claim a full refund.
"We understand some people will have no choice but to travel and they should check our website for the latest updates before travelling. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our customers in advance for their patience.”
Network Rail, meanwhile, said no trains at all would run to Blackpool or Chester during the industrial action. Rail bosses said today the 'finishing touches' were being made to a 'special' railway timetable due to operate across the UK from June 20 to June 26 and be published on Friday.
But they warned only a 'severely limited' service would be available. Only around half of Britain's rail network will be open over the strike days - with lines in operation between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
It comes as rail union RMT called for face-to-face meetings with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak to avert the action. RMT members working for Network Rail and 13 train operating companies will take to picket lines across the country in a row over pay and job losses.
In a letter to Mr Shapps, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said it 'has become clear that the Treasury is calling the shots and is not allowing rail employers to reach a negotiated settlement with the union'.
Network Rail said thousands of specially trained and fully qualified back-up staff would step-in during the walk-outs to keep vital services running, but admitted only a 'severely limited service' would be available. Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said just 20 per cent of the usual train services would run - and urged passengers to plan and check ahead.
He said: "Talks have not progressed as far as I had hoped and so we must prepare for a needless national rail strike and the damaging impact it will have. We, and our train operating colleagues, are gearing up to run the best service we can for passengers and freight users next week despite the actions of the RMT."
Steve Montgomery, Chair of the Rail Delivery Group, said: "These strikes will affect the millions of people who use the train each day, including key workers, students with exams, those who cannot work from home, holidaymakers and those attending important business and leisure events.
"Working with Network Rail, our plan is to keep as many services running as possible, but significant disruption will be inevitable and some parts of the network will not have a service, so passengers should plan their journeys carefully and check their train times.
"Taxpayers have provided the equivalent of about £600 per household since Covid and passenger numbers are still only at around 75 per cent of pre pandemic levels. We need to bring rail up to date so that we attract more people back and take no more than our fair share from the public purse.
"We ask the RMT's leadership to call off these damaging strikes and continue talks to reach a deal that is fair to staff and taxpayers, and which secures a bright, long-term future of our railways."
Network Rail said no passenger services would serve locations such as Penzance in Cornwall, Bournemouth in Dorset, Swansea in South Wales, Holyhead in North Wales, Chester in Cheshire and Blackpool, Lancashire. There will also be no passenger trains running north from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Open lines include the West Coast Main Line from London to Scotland via locations including Birmingham and Manchester.
The number of passenger services on the strike days is expected to be limited to around 4,500, compared with 20,000 normally, and only around 12,000-14,000 services will be able to run on the days following the strikes because signallers and control staff will not work overnight shifts that begin on the strike dates.
That means trains will not be able to leave depots for up to four hours later than normal. Train operator Northern urged passengers 'not to travel' between Tuesday and Sunday.
Southeastern said its customers should 'only travel by rail if necessary' on the three strike days. TransPennine Express told passengers they should 'only travel if journeys are essential' on strike days, adding that 'services will also be affected on the days following the industrial action, particularly in the mornings'.
