Travelling on the UK's rail network around Christmas can be frustrating, with engineering works between Christmas and New Year likely to leave passengers stranded or with journey times that take considerably longer. This December, rail travellers will likely have to contend with strike action across the network after the RMT union rejected an initial offer by The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies.
This means that the latest round of strikes by union members across 14 train firms and Network Rail will begin in eight days. National walkouts are due to take place for four 48-hour periods over the end of 2022 and the start of 2023: December 13-14, December 16-17, January 3-4 and January 6-7.
In addition, RMT union strikes have now been scheduled over the Christmas period from 6 pm on December 24 until December 27.
Because of the procedures and timetables that have to be put in place ahead of strikes, any 11th-hour agreement can still cause travel chaos, and it's been suggested by travel experts that the latest deadline for a deal to avoid disruption is the end of today.
Read More: Trains calling at Bristol Parkway between Christmas and New Year disrupted by works
The dispute is centred on pay and changes to working practices that will be implemented to help fund any wage increases. The RDG, which represents the 14 train operators, has put forward a below-inflation offer for a 4% pay rise this year and 4% next year, which the RMT has rejected, saying it does not meet its criteria for pay or conditions.
Great Western Railway has said that on strike days, only a significantly reduced service will operate on a limited number of routes and that some parts of the GWR network will have no service at all. Where services are running, they are expected to be extremely busy, and there won't be any bus replacement services provided.
This isn't the only industrial action likely to impact travellers. The RMT is the UK's primary rail union and crucially employs signalling staff, but there are several different ongoing disputes involving other employers across the rail network and the unions that represent them, including Aslef, which represents train drivers, Unite, which represents some operators and engineers and TSSA, used by and large by white-collar clerical railway staff.
In addition to the dates mentioned above, Great Western Railway, which operates the majority of mainline services in the southwest, has confirmed that around 350 engineers will take further strike action on Thursday, December 15, over pay. The striking workers are based at depots and stations in London, Exeter, Tiverton, Plymouth, Swindon, Swansea, Reading, Penzance, Oxford and Bristol.
Engineers are striking as they say that they have not been offered a pay rise for the third year in a row. Unite says this is "despite GWR’s parent company First Group, which is based in Aberdeen, making pre-tax profits of £654 million in 2021/22."
An overtime ban across the railways from December 18 until January 2 will also limit the number of services that can run. A representative from GWR told Bristol Live that this means there will be a reduced timetable in operation, with train services not starting until 07:30 and all journeys being completed before 18:30.
When are the next train strikes?
National rail strikes by the RMT, Unite and TSSA are scheduled throughout December. Around 40,000 rail workers are expected to walk out, with approximately 80% of services due to be cancelled. Disruption is also affected on the days following the strikes.
National rail strikes in December 2022/ January 2023
- Tuesday December 13 – action by the RMT
- Wednesday December 14 – action by RMT
- Friday December 16 – action by RMT
- Saturday December 17 – action by RMT and TSSA
- Saturday December 24 6 pm to Sunday December 27 - action by RMT
- Tuesday January 3 – action by RMT
- Wednesday January 4 – action by RMT
- Friday January 6 – action by RMT
- Saturday January 7 – action by RMT
National Rail strikes in the South West in December 2022
- Thursday December 15 - action by Unite affecting GWR
Other regional Rail strikes in December 2022
- Friday December 2 to Saturday December 3 – action by Unite union affecting East Midlands Railway
- Sunday December 11 to Monday December 12 – action by RMT affecting Avanti West Coast
- Friday December 23 to Saturday December 24 – action by Unite affecting East Midlands Railway
Planned railway engineering works in the South West over the Christmas period
- Tuesday December 27 to Friday December 30 - engineering work between Swindon and Patchway will impact CrossCountry services via Bristol Parkway and GWR trains.
Network Rail has announced that engineering work between Swindon and Patchway will impact local railway routes between Christmas and New Year. The disruption will impact CrossCountry services via Bristol Parkway and GWR trains between Tuesday December 27, and Friday December 30.
For CrossCountry trains, the line closures mean that rail replacement buses will operate between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway, Bristol Parkway and Gloucester. This will affect CrossCountry trains travelling between Penzance / Plymouth / Exeter St Davids / Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street / Manchester Piccadilly / Derby / Sheffield / Leeds / York / Newcastle / Edinburgh / Glasgow Central / Aberdeen.
GWR services between London Paddington and Cardiff Central / Swansea will operate hourly between London Paddington and Swansea. These will instead be diverted between Swindon and Newport via the Bath Spa.
GWR trains will not call at Bristol Parkway but will call additionally at Patchway. A rail replacement bus service will operate between Patchway and Bristol Parkway.
Timetable changes are also in effect, with services expected to depart London Paddington and Reading up to 30 minutes earlier than usual. Also affected are services between London Paddington and Cheltenham Spa, which will operate between Swindon and Cheltenham Spa only.
Additionally, the 22.32 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads service will not run. Instead, the 22.48 London Paddington to Swansea service will divert after Swindon to call additionally at Chippenham, Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads. The service will then change direction and stop additionally at Patchway before returning to its regular route at Newport.
Network Rail suggests using its journey planner before travelling and offers replacement bus travel advice, including accessibility and bicycle information, here.
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