The strike will affect the following train companies: Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern, and West Midlands Trains.
As of today, train drivers have initiated a strike, which will cause extensive disruptions this weekend.
Members of the union Aslef at nine train companies are on a 24-hour strike, crippling huge portions of the network and leaving certain regions without service.
Football lovers, tourists, and vacationers will be among the tens of thousands of affected travelers.
While firms not involved in the strike will continue to operate trains, ridership is expected to increase.
The industrial action will also impact services on the morning of Sunday, August 14. Travelers are advised to begin their journeys later in the day if possible.
In the next weeks, more industrial action is scheduled in response to escalating disagreements over jobs, wages, and working conditions.
Aslef will erect picket lines in front of train stations, and officials expect continued support from the people despite the action’s negative consequences.
Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern, and West Midlands Trains will be affected by the strikes.
Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, stated that the railway companies were unable to grant a salary increase without authorization from the Department for Transport, and he warned that if a resolution to the protracted dispute was not reached soon, fresh strikes will be called.
“Catch-22 scenario”
“We do not want to go on strike; strikes are usually the last resort,” he stated. “However, the companies and the government have pushed our hand.”
“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers since our friends and relatives also use public transportation, we believe in developing faith in the railroads in Britain, and we don’t want to lose money by engaging in strike action.”
The firms have informed us that they cannot or will not boost our members’ salaries.
“They blame the government, but the government maintains the railway operators are to blame.” Consequently, we are in a Catch-22 position in which both sides blame the other.”
Aslef stated that Saturday’s striking drivers have not received a pay raise in three years.
The union is also conducting a strike vote for drivers at Chiltern Railways, Northern Trains, and TransPennine Express, with results expected later this month.
Steve Montgomery, head of the Rail Delivery Group, criticized the Aslef leadership for imposing “even more uncertainty” and stated that he had an “open invitation” for discussions with them.
“The railway is too essential to this country to allow it to fade,” he added. “However, with passenger numbers remaining 20% below pre-pandemic levels, we must adapt to entice more people back to secure a prosperous future.”
He said, “We call on Aslef to come to the table so that we can fund the wage raise we want to give our employees while delivering the Sunday service enhancements and more punctuality that our customers deserve.”
An RMT walkout became the largest British rail strike 30 years earlier this summer.
The RMT and TSSA unions will strike on the 18th and 20th of August, while the London Underground and London bus drivers will strike on the 19th.
“Completely false”
Meanwhile, the dispute over the reduction of Sunday services on the Avanti West Coast continued to escalate. The firm and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps blamed unofficial action by Aslef, which the union vehemently rejected.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport commented on the company’s proposed timetable adjustments, stating, “Passengers deserve clarity and assurance that their train will run on time, and while this decision was necessary, it should minimize the impact on passengers.
This is a prime example of why we need to modernize our railways to provide passengers with dependable timetables that do not rely on the goodwill of drivers agreeing to work overtime.
The Department of Transport stated that claims that the government was obstructing negotiations were “absolutely incorrect.”
“From the onset, we have urged the unions and industry to reach an agreement that is fair for railway employees, passengers, and taxpayers.”
The agency noted that £16 billion was spent to keep the railway operating during the height of the pandemic, adding that without this support, enterprises may have folded and thousands of jobs could have been lost.
Over the previous decade, rail workers have received above-average pay rises, with their wages increasing by around 25% from £35,000 in 2011 to £44,000 in 2021, according to the department, which added that rail personnel pay increases must be “fair and in line with the wider public sector.”
All Avanti West Coast services have been terminated.
Chiltern Railways: “Strongly” advises passengers to avoid travel unless necessary, due to the ripple effect caused by other carriers. Expect crowded trains, last-minute cancellations, and delays. Between noon and 8 p.m., only one train per hour operates on the Aylesbury Vale Parkway – Marylebone route.
CrossCountry: Saturday service is unavailable.
Although its drivers are not on strike, Gatwick Express services are likely to be “impacted” due to industrial action on London Overground and Southeastern.
A limited service will operate between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington, Reading and Oxford, and Reading and Basingstoke. Schedules will begin later and end earlier than usual.
With their “heavily curtailed and disrupted” service, Greater Anglia advises consumers to avoid travel. There will be one train per hour between London and Norwich, London and Colchester, Southend Victoria and Liverpool Street, and Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.
All Heathrow Express services have been terminated.
A “substantially curtailed” timetable is in effect for Hull Trains, with only one train to and from King’s Cross.
No trains are running northbound from Edinburgh Waverley, and the frequency of southbound trains has been reduced to one every two hours. No trains operate northbound from Leeds, while only one train operates southbound to London King’s Cross. King’s Cross operates one northbound train per hour, whereas Newcastle operates one northbound and one southbound train every two hours.
London Northwestern Railway: There are no services available.
Although Northern’s services are operating as usual, other operators’ strikes may result in busier trains than usual.
All services have been canceled by Southeastern.
Southern: Its drivers are not participating in the Aslef strike; nonetheless, services may be “impacted” due to disruptions on London Overground and Southeastern.
Stansted Express: Customers have been warned to avoid traveling on Saturdays. Every hour, one train travels between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street. Due to construction, a bus will be used to go between Waltham Cross and Harlow Town.
Despite not being directly affected by strikes, Transport for Wales services may be impacted by the reduced schedules of other operators. Customers are recommended to avoid non-essential travel between Carmarthen and Newport, Cardiff and Lydney, Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, and the North Wales Coast, as trains are anticipated to be crowded.
West Midlands Railway: Saturday service is not available.
