People are being urged not to travel by train this week due to major rail strikes by the RMT union beginning on June 21. The strikes are taking place on three days but transport chiefs say services will be hit throughout the week. Transport for Wales and First Great Western are both affected in Wales.
The vast majority of rail routes in Wales will have no services on Tuesday, June 21, Thursday, June 23 and Saturday, June 25 because of the walkout by members of the RMT union working for Network Rail. However, rail bosses say that services from Monday June 20 will be affected because of the walkout and are asking people to only travel if essential.
Which train stations are affected by the strike?
Major train stations including Swansea, Bridgend, Carmarthen, Llanelli, Aberystwyth, Holyhead and Llandudno will have no services. There will only be limited services from Cardiff, Newport, Pontypridd and stations on the Valley lines to Merthyr, Aberdare and Treherbert.
Which rail lines are operating during the strike?
The only services running will be:
- on 21 and 23 June, a reduced service between Radyr and Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil, with replacement bus services between Radyr and Cardiff Central.
- on 25 June, a reduced service between Radyr and Treherbert, Aberdare and Pontypridd, with replacement buses in operation between Radyr and Cardiff Central, and between Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil due to the ongoing transformation work for the South Wales Metro.
This map shows how services will be affected during the strike:
Staff working for Transport for Wales are not affected by the strike. But RMT staff working for Network Rail which manages the infrastructure across the UK are going on strike meaning that services across the UK are all affected.
Only services in Transport for Wales routes in one part of the Valleys and services on the mainline into Wales from London going as far as Cardiff will be operating. There will be no services west of Cardiff.
When is the train strike in Wales?
Transport for Wales
Transport for Wales says passengers should not travel by train during the three strike days on June 21, 23 and 25. There are no strikes on June 20, 22, 24 and 26 but Transport for Wales said people should only travel if essential as services would still be affected.
On 25 June, replacement buses will be in operation between Radyr and Cardiff Central, and between Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil due to the ongoing transformation work for the South Wales Metro.
All other services will be suspended, as signalling and other infrastructure work is managed by Network Rail, who are impacted by the industrial action. There is also expected to be disruption on the days prior and after the industrial action, with early morning services in particular likely to be affected.
GWR
On June 22 and 24, GWR expects to run a service of more than one train per hour between Cardiff and London from 7am, one train an hour between Cardiff and Swansea and limited/no service between Swansea and Carmarthen with the company saying to use other operators services where possible.
Why are RMT trains staff going on strike?
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators will go on strike because of a row about pay, conditions and job security. More than 40,000 staff are expected to take part. It's thought union negotiators are rejecting a 2% pay increase offer.
The union also claims Network Rail wants to cut up to 2,500 jobs as part of a £2bn reduction in spending, workers who maintain tracks, signals and overhead lines affected. Ticket sales have fallen 25% since the pandemic and revenue falling. Taxpayer subsidy has risen to £16bn to keep services running.
"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," Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, said.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail's chief executive, said he understood the cost of living had increased, but argued the union "must recognise we are a public body and any pay increase has to be affordable for taxpayers".
What Transport for Wales has said about the strike
A TfW spokesman said: "Trains are also expected to be extremely busy throughout the entire week.
"As a result, TfW is advising that customers only make essential journeys by train on 20, 22, 24 and 26 June, and not to travel at all by train on 21, 23 and 25 June."
What Network Rail Wales has said about the strike
Network Rail Wales and Borders said it believed next week would be "tough" for passengers.
"This planned strike action means we simply can't run the vast majority of passenger and freight services as we will have fewer specialist signallers available," a spokesman said.
"Transport for Wales is not in dispute with rail unions, but its trains will be severely impacted as we rely on each other to provide services for passengers across most of Wales and Borders.
"The line between the Severn Tunnel and Cardiff will remain open with a very limited timetable. Transport for Wales is providing a shuttle service on the parts of the core Valley lines network it's solely responsible for."
Full details of the timetable for these days has been published. Customers can find these on the TfW, Traveline and National Rail websites using the journey planners.
Customers with existing non-season tickets valid for travel from Tuesday 21 June to Saturday 25 June can use those tickets anytime between Monday 20 June and Monday 27 June. Alternatively, customers can claim a full refund, with no admin fee charged. Season ticket holders can apply for compensation via Delay Repay.
In the meantime, TfW has suspended sales of Advance tickets for the first three strike dates in order to minimise the number of people disrupted. Customers are advised to continue to check the TfW or Traveline websites, and those of other operators, for updates.
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