During today’s fresh wave of rail strikes, summer vacations and weekend plans may be severely disrupted, with an “amber traffic warning” also in effect for the highways.
There may be disruptions for sports fans attending the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the opening Football League matches of the season.
According to the Aslef union, train drivers from seven rail companies are holding a 24-hour strike over pay, and it is feared that millions of passengers could be affected.
Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. today, the AA warns motorists of significant congestion on major routes, with the South of England expected to be particularly vulnerable.
Several causes are responsible, including the rail strikes, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the beginning of the English Football League season.
The AA’s director of road policy, Jack Cousens, predicts that the congestion will be a source of annoyance for many drivers this weekend.
In addition to food and water, he suggested providing some type of amusement for younger passengers to prevent sighs and cries of “I’m bored!”
Yesterday, traffic did not impede access to the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, but National Highways predicts that this weekend will be “very busy.”
The United Kingdom and France have established arrangements to avert border turmoil and “maximize passenger flows,” and they will have weekly talks to prevent further disruptions on both sides of the Channel.
Between Thursday and Sunday of this week, the Port of Dover is expecting to see 140,000 passengers, 45,000 cars, and 18,000 freight trucks.
The Rail Delivery Group has accused the Aslef union of coordinating their strike with major sporting events.
Arriva Rail London, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern, and West Midlands Trains are all affected by today’s strike.
Steve Montgomery, chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, stated, “We are extremely disappointed that the Aslef leadership has opted to impose additional uncertainty and hardship for passengers and companies in a week in which the RMT has already gone on strike.”
Passengers on impacted lines are asked to plan and check before traveling; if trains are canceled, passengers have until Tuesday to modify their ticket, receive a refund, or utilize their ticket.
Aslef’s general secretary Mick Whelan insists that industrial action is “always the final resort” as further strikes are scheduled for next month over salary, jobs, and working conditions.
He said, “We don’t want to inconvenience people, because our friends and relatives also use public transportation, and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike, but we’ve been forced into this position by the firms, who claim that the Tory government has led them to this.”
Mr. Whelan asserted that many Aslef members have not received a salary raise in three years, and with inflation “running at more than 10 percent,” their real wages have declined.
He stated, “It is not unreasonable to require your employer to ensure that you are not worse off for three consecutive years.” “Especially because the train companies are doing rather well, thank you, with attractive profits, dividends for shareholders, and high pay for management, and train drivers do not like to work longer for less.”
