UK
Delays and disruption warning as train strikes begin

Joe Langstaffe,BBC News

PA
Avanti West Coast trains will not be operating on Wednesday

Rail passengers across Wales are to face disruption on Wednesday with train drivers from the Aslef union striking as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

Great Western Railway (GWR) services along the south Wales mainline will be “extremely limited”, according to the operator.

No Avanti West Coast trains will be running between Chester and Holyhead on Anglesey, while the CrossCountry service between Cardiff Central and Nottingham will also not be operating.

Transport for Wales, which provides all other train services in Wales, is not in dispute with Aslef and trains will be operating as normal.

Train strikes: How are you affected this week?

New direct train from London to Wrexham proposed

Transport for Wales rail fares to rise by 4.9%

However, it warned services are likely to be particularly busy.

Aslef members at 16 train operators across the UK are taking part in the strike.

Three of those, which do not operate in Wales, will walk out on Thursday.

The union first balloted its members in June 2022, with numerous strikes and other industrial action taking place since.

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “Our pay deals at these companies ran out in 2019.

"Train drivers at these train operating companies have not had an increase in salary for five years.

“That is completely wrong. The employers – and the [UK] government – think we are going to give up and run away. They’re wrong”.

Great Western Railway said it will continue to operate limited services between Cardiff Central and Bristol Temple Meads, however all other GWR services have been cancelled.

It also warned services in the days following the strike could be affected.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies affected by the strikes, said last month: "This wholly unnecessary strike action called by the Aslef leadership will sadly disrupt customers and businesses once again, while further damaging the railway at a time when taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54 million a week just to keep services running.

“We continue to seek a fair agreement with the ASLEF leadership which both rewards our people, gives our customers more reliable services and makes sure the railway isn’t taking more than its fair share from taxpayers."

Fresh strikes by train drivers to cause more disruption for rail passengers

The dispute is now the longest ever in the rail industry

PASSENGERS ARE BEING URGED TO CHECK BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO TRAVEL BY TRAIN THIS WEEK (PA)

PA WIRE

ALAN JONES19 HOURS AGO

Rail services on some of the busiest commuter routes in the country will be at a standstill on Tuesday because of a fresh strike by drivers in a near two-year long pay dispute.

Members of Aslef at English operators including those running services into London such as Southern, Southeastern and South Western Railway will walk out for the day.

Strikes will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at different operators, while drivers are also banning overtime until Saturday which is also causing disruption.

Passengers are being urged to check before attempting to travel by train this week.

The dispute is now the longest ever in the rail industry.

There is a glimmer of hope that negotiations will start in a bid to resolve the row after the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) invited Aslef to talks about exploring any common ground which could break the deadlock.

No formal talks between the operators and the union have been held for a year and for longer involving a transport minister.

Business groups have warned of the impact on the economy of the strikes, especially for hospitality firms.

Muniya Barua, deputy chief executive at BusinessLDN, said: “Yet another round of industrial action across the rail network will cause disruption for businesses and commuters up and down the country.

“Amid weak economic growth, and as we head into a summer trading period which is crucial for retail, leisure and hospitality firms, we urge all parties to work together to resolve these long-running talks and keep the city moving. The impact of these walkouts will be felt even more acutely by many owing to a shorter working week.”

Train drivers will strike on the following days:

– Tuesday May 7: c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR’s Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern (including Gatwick Express), Southeastern, and South Western Railway.

– Wednesday May 8: Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway, Chiltern, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, GWR, and West Midlands Trains.

– Thursday May 9: LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Express.

Aslef said its members have not had a pay rise for five years and has accused the Government of “giving up” trying to resolve the dispute.

UK
Rail services will be 'severely impacted' by strikes


Alice Cunningham,BBC News, Essex

Greater AngliaGreater Anglia services will be impacted this week by strikes

Strikes will impact rail commuters in the East of England next week.

The Aslef union announced action from Tuesday through to Thursday impacting different rail operators, including Greater Anglia, each day.

An overtime ban was also called between Monday and Saturday.

Passengers have been advised to check before travelling and plan accordingly.

What is happening on Tuesday?

Greater Anglia said services would be "severely impacted" on Tuesday.

It planned to run a reduced train service on a small number of key routes into London across fewer hours.

The affected routes are:Norwich/Colchester and London Liverpool Street
Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street
Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street
Cambridge and London Liverpool Street

The operator added that most routes would have no services at all.

Other operators including c2c, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern and South Western Railway including Island Line are also expected to be impacted on Tuesday.

What is happening on Wednesday and Thursday?

On Wednesday, Greater Anglia's first trains of the day on most routes will start at about 07:00 BST.

"Most of our train services will be running," a Greater Anglia spokesperson said.

"West Anglia services are expected to be extremely busy, passengers are advised to check before they travel and consider travelling at alternative times.

"Stansted Express will be operating a reduced service of two or three trains per hour."

Wednesday will see operators including Avanti, Chiltern, CrossCountry and others impacted by the strike.

Thursday will similarly see LNER, Northern and TransPennine disrupted.

Some engineering works on Saturday may also impact journeys on Greater Anglia routes.

Greater Anglia recommended making use of its journey planner before setting out.

UK 

Travellers face bank holiday misery as 150 train lines hit by strikes and delays

A combination of rail strikes and engineering works are set to cause chaos for eight days

A fresh wave of strikes are set to hit the UK in May (Photo: Justin Tallis/Getty)

By Sam Rucker

May 3, 2024 

Britons hoping for a bank holiday weekend away could have their hopes dashed, as more than 150 train lines are set to be hit by a combination of rail strikes and engineering works over an eight-day period.

The upcoming bank holiday on Monday, 6 May, is predicted as the worst affected day, as a combination of rail works and an overtime ban will spark a “crescendo” of cars taking to UK roads.

Transport commentator and railway historian Christian Wolmar told i strikes were purposefully planned for the upcoming bank holiday weekend to “create a maximum impact”.

“It was obviously envisaged that the strikes would coincide with engineering works,” the author of The Subterranean Railway said.

Key stretches of train lines will be closed from late on Friday, 3 May, through to the start of service on Tuesday morning, 7 May. Network Rail says it will have 487 projects in operation over the course of the weekend.

Drivers at 16 train companies will strike between Tuesday and Thursday with an overtime ban in place from Monday to Saturday

A three-day succession of “rolling” strikes, starting on 7 May and affecting 16 rail operators, will also be held by Aslef, the union representing train drivers.

Union members will also be banned from overtime from Monday, 6 May, until Saturday, 11 May, causing further cancellations. At least 152 train lines are due to be affected by the disruption, according to analysis by i.

Rail expert Mr Wolmar warned that the upcoming Monday “will not go well” for hopeful holidaymakers, as thousands take to roads up and down the UK to avoid rail disruptions.

“It is not going to be a good day. It is sure to add at least a few per cent more users to the road,” Mr Wolmar said.

Earlier this week, car insurance company RAC revealed it expects 16 million motorists will make a leisure trip between Friday and Monday, taking bank holiday traffic well above pre-Covid levels.

On bank holiday Monday itself, parts of north-west England, East Anglia and south-west England will be hardest hit by returning traffic. RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson said to anticipate a “crescendo of cars on the road over the weekend”.

Those planning on driving to avoid rail disruption on Monday are urged to travel before 9am or after 5pm over the bank holiday period.

Strike days

• Monday 6 May: a ban on overtime is due to disrupt hundreds of lines
• Tuesday 7 May: c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR’s Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern (including Gatwick Express), Southeastern, and South Western Railway
• Wednesday 8 May: Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, West Midlands Trains, Chiltern and GWR
• Thursday 9 May: LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Express
• Friday 10 May: a ban on overtime is due to disrupt hundreds of lines
• Saturday 11 May: a ban on overtime is due to disrupt hundreds of lines

Addressing the engineering works, Network Rail’s system operator director Anit Chandarana said: “The vast majority of the railway will be open for business as normal.

“We know people want to travel by train and not replacement bus and we do our best to fit as much work as we can into these closures to minimise the impact on passengers and freight customers.”

Meanwhile, continued Aslef strikes form part of a near two-year-long pay dispute. There was hope this week of negotiations restarting between Aslef and train operators with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents rail companies.

No meetings have been held between the two sides for a year, while government ministers have not met with Aslef since the start of 2023.

Mr Wolmar predicts there is no end in sight to the latest wave of industrial action, blaming a “standoff” between the Government and Aslef.

He told i: “There will be more of this. There is just so much anger in Aslef with ministers refusing to talk. There is absolute deadlock.”

Looking beyond the bank holiday, industrial action is expected to affect the largest area of the country on Wednesday 8 May. A spokesperson for the RDG said the strikes were “wholly unnecessary”.

The spokesperson added: “[Strikes] will sadly disrupt customers and businesses once again, while further damaging the railway at a time when taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54m a week just to keep services running.”

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “It is now a year since we sat in a room with the train companies – and a year since we rejected the risible offer they made and which they admitted, privately, was designed to be rejected.”

Drivers at 16 train companies will strike for 24 hours on three consecutive dates between Tuesday and Thursday. In some places there may be no trains at all on strike days, and services that are running will typically run between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

Planned engineering works

• The main London-Birmingham line will be severed between Rugby and Birmingham International, disrupting Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Railway and London North Western Railway
• Avanti West Coast lines will generally be operating much-reduced services with many journeys taking significantly more time due to diversionary routes
• The Leamington Spa to Coventry line will affect CrossCountry services due to track renewals
• Lines around Cambridge will be disrupted due to work on the new Cambridge South station
• The Stansted airport-Cambridge line will be suspended
• The Euston and Milton Keynes Central line will be completely closed on 5 May
• Lines between Glasgow and anywhere in England will be closed on 5 May, “owing to improvement work on the West Coast Main Line at Crewe, Wigan and other locations”
• Lines around Liverpool will be affected by track renewals on 5 and 6 May
• Lines in Kent and Sussex will be impacted by widespread work linked to the Southeastern network
• The Dover-Folkestone will be running at a reduced speed

The union is asking for an unconditional pay rise, while rail firms and the Government say wage increases need to be contingent on reforms to working practices.

It has already rejected a two-year offer of 4 per cent in 2022, and again in 2024, claiming it was too far below inflation and linked to changes in working conditions.

Inrix transportation analyst Bob Pishue said: “Although delays won’t be as severe as Easter, drivers should expect the lengthiest hold-ups on major roads to and from popular destinations this weekend.

“Delays will likely peak on Friday afternoon with some areas seeing usual travel times double as holiday drivers vie for space on the roads with commuters.”

RDG said: “We continue to seek a fair agreement with the Aslef leadership which both rewards our people, gives our customers more reliable services and makes sure the railway isn’t taking more than its fair share from taxpayers.”

Speaking on industrial action last month, a Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer that remains on the table.”

Train drivers strike for third time in four days

Sky News
Sun, 7 April 2024




Passengers on some of the UK's busiest rail routes will face travel chaos on Monday as train drivers are set to strike for the third time in four days.

Members of Aslef will walk out resulting in significant reductions in services, especially in East Anglia and the South East.

Aslef is embroiled in a near two-year long dispute over pay, with no sign of a breakthrough and no talks planned.


The strike will hit c2c, Gatwick Express, Greater Anglia, Southeastern, Southern, South Western Railway, Great Northern and Thameslink.

The union says the dispute has cost the industry over £2bn, far more than it would have cost to resolve the conflict.

Aslef members at 16 train companies are also banning overtime on Monday and Tuesday which will further disrupt services.

Picket lines will be mounted outside the railway stations of operators affected by the strike.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said his members remained solidly behind the industrial action and criticised the government and rail companies for the lack of contact over the past year.

The government introduced a new law last year aimed at ensuring minimum levels of service during strikes, but none of the train companies have opted to use it.

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: "Train companies are working through plans to manage the unnecessary disruption to our passengers caused by this damaging industrial action.

"Minimum service levels are one potential tool for that but they are not a silver bullet.

"In the meantime, we remain committed to resolving this dispute and our offer, which would take average driver salaries to £65,000 for a four-day week without overtime, remains on the table."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer that remains on the table.

"Having resolved disputes with all other rail unions, the transport secretary and rail minister have ensured that a pay offer is on the table - taking train drivers' average salaries from £60,000 up to £65,000."

UK Train drivers mount picket lines outside railway stations as strikes continue

Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Sat, 6 April 2024 



Train drivers mounted picket lines outside railway stations on Saturday as strikes continued in a long-running pay dispute.

Aslef said the 22-month-long row had cost the industry £2 billion, much more than it would have cost to resolve the conflict.

Rail passengers suffered more travel disruption when six operators were hit by strikes.


Some areas of the country will have no services all day on Saturday.


Chiltern, TransPennine Express and Northern will not run any trains, while there will be reduced services on Great Western Railway, LNER and Heathrow Express.

LNER said it plans to run 35 services between London, Edinburgh and West Yorkshire, while no Heathrow Express trains will run before 7.25am or after 7pm.

GWR said services will be reduced, with many parts of its network having no trains all day.

Engineering work means there will be no trains between London Paddington and Reading.

The strikes follow walkouts at Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway, CrossCountry and London NorthWestern on Friday, which crippled services.

Several train operators, including those serving busy commuter routes in the South East, will be hit by a strike on Monday.

A ban on overtime on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday at 16 train companies is also leading to cancellations and disruption.

Aslef says it wants to meet with train companies and ministers to try to break the deadlock, claiming that the Government does not want to resolve the row.

No meetings have been held between the union and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) for a year, or with Transport Secretary Mark Harper since December 2022.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “We’ve done 17 pay deals in the last 12 months across all sectors, nations and regions – freight, open-access, Elizabeth line, and Tube.

“And yet we only have a problem with one place and the place we have a problem with is the Westminster Government, who are interfering with our pay deals with the private companies we work for.”

A new law was introduced last year aimed at ensuring minimum levels of service during strikes, but none of the train operators have applied to use it.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer that remains on the table.”

A spokesperson for the RDG said: “Minimum service level legislation is one of many useful tools for managing strike disruption, but it is not a silver bullet.”

UK

PM accused of ‘playing games’ as rail strike continues

Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Tue, 30 January 2024 

The Prime Minister has been accused of “playing games” rather than trying to help resolve the long-running train drivers’ dispute as another strike caused travel disruption across parts of England.

Members of Aslef on some of the busiest commuter routes, including many into London, walked out on Tuesday, crippling services on operators such as Southern, SouthEastern, Gatwick Express and South Western Railway.

Some areas had no trains all day, forcing many people onto the roads, leading to huge traffic jams in parts of the country.

Train drivers at Northern Trains and the TransPennine Express will strike on Wednesday as part of a rolling programme of action until early next week in a bitter row over pay and conditions.

None of the operators hit by strikes used new regulations aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during industrial action.

Downing Street said it will consider if they can “strengthen” minimum service level (MSL) rules after train operators opted not to use the new law during strikes.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “This is something that the rail companies have asked for and we have delivered it for them.

“We believe they should be ready to use the legislation to reduce the impact of rail strikes on passengers, but we are always open to looking at how we can strengthen the rules around MSLs to ensure they deliver for the best interests of passengers.

“That’s something we will continue to look at and of course we will keep discussing with the rail companies themselves.”

Sources told the PA news agency that rail companies had not asked for the regulations amid warnings from unions and opposition politicians that they were unworkable.

Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent

Tue, 30 January 2024 at 9:23 am GMT-7·4-min read

The Prime Minister has been accused of “playing games” rather than trying to help resolve the long-running train drivers’ dispute as another strike caused travel disruption across parts of England.

Members of Aslef on some of the busiest commuter routes, including many into London, walked out on Tuesday, crippling services on operators such as Southern, SouthEastern, Gatwick Express and South Western Railway.

Some areas had no trains all day, forcing many people onto the roads, leading to huge traffic jams in parts of the country.

Train drivers at Northern Trains and the TransPennine Express will strike on Wednesday as part of a rolling programme of action until early next week in a bitter row over pay and conditions.

None of the operators hit by strikes used new regulations aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during industrial action.

Downing Street said it will consider if they can “strengthen” minimum service level (MSL) rules after train operators opted not to use the new law during strikes.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “This is something that the rail companies have asked for and we have delivered it for them.

“We believe they should be ready to use the legislation to reduce the impact of rail strikes on passengers, but we are always open to looking at how we can strengthen the rules around MSLs to ensure they deliver for the best interests of passengers.

“That’s something we will continue to look at and of course we will keep discussing with the rail companies themselves.”

Sources told the PA news agency that rail companies had not asked for the regulations amid warnings from unions and opposition politicians that they were unworkable.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak told PA: “This is a desperate attempt to distract from the Government’s failings.

“Employers from rail to health warned months ago these new laws are unworkable and would escalate industrial tensions.

“The PM should stop playing games and help resolve this dispute.”

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, said: “Minimum Service Level legislation is one of many useful tools for managing strike disruption, but it is not a silver bullet.

“Operators’ guiding principle is always to make sure they can offer the best, most reliable services possible for their passengers on and around industrial action days, and to do that they need to make careful assessments of their own particular operational circumstances before deciding the best way forward.”

Meanwhile, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) announced a strike by London Overground workers in a separate dispute over pay.

More than 300 union members will walk out for 48 hours on February 19 and again on March 4.

Security, station, revenue and control staff are among those taking industrial action.

Rail services are already being affected by a nine-day ban on overtime by Aslef members, which started on Monday.

On Tuesday, drivers went on strike at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western Railway followed by walkouts at Northern Trains and TPE on Wednesday, at LNER, Greater Anglia and C2C on Friday, at West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway on February 3 and at Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern on February 5.

Aslef says it has not met with Transport Secretary Mark Harper for more than a year despite a series of strikes which have caused travel misery and cost industries such as hospitality tens of millions of pounds in lost business.

A Department of Transport spokesperson said on Monday: “Aslef’s leadership is refusing to let their members vote on an offer that would see the average train driver’s salary increase to £65,000.

“The Transport Secretary and Rail Minister have already facilitated talks that led to this fair and reasonable offer from industry – Aslef bosses should put it to their members so we can resolve the dispute, which has already happened with the RMT, TSSA and Unite unions.

“With passenger revenues not having recovered since the pandemic, the taxpayer has had to prop up the railways with £12 billion in the past year alone – these strikes will not change the need for urgent workplace reforms that Aslef continue to block.”

UK 

Train drivers will keep striking to ‘raise profile’ of pay dispute, says Aslef 

Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent
Sun, 28 January 2024

Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Train drivers will keep striking to “raise the profile” of their dispute after half a decade without a pay rise, the Aslef union has warned, before another week of rolling strikes across England.

Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, has said he believes that the government will make renewed efforts to see train companies use controversial new anti-strike laws, despite the union forcing a climbdown this time round.

An overtime ban will begin to disrupt services from Monday, before trains are halted for 24 hours at national train operators around England in rolling strikes from Tuesday.

Related: Train drivers call off extra strike days after LNER minimum service law U-turn

Drivers will strike at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western Railway on Tuesday 30 January; at Northern Trains and TPE on Wednesday 31 January; at LNER, Greater Anglia and C2C on Friday 2 February; at West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway on Saturday 3 February; and at Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern on Monday 5 February.

No trains at all are likely to run at most operators on their respective strike days, with other services likely to be much busier where they provide alternative routes for passengers.

The set of strikes was expected to be the first test of the minimum service levels legislation, designed to allow train operators to run 40% of the normal timetable. Only LNER, one of the three operators directly run by the Department for Transport, planned to use the new powers to demand that drivers break the strike. An immediate escalation by Aslef, which called five additional days of strikes at LNER, prompted a climbdown.

Rail industry bosses as well as unions had made clear their reservations in consultations and select committee hearings ahead of the strike laws being introduced, which could also be applied in health, education and firefighters disputes. Labour has said it will immediately repeal the laws if elected.

Speaking to the Guardian before the latest industrial action, Whelan said: “We made the point that it was unworkable, we believed it was terribly unsafe. We made the point, which was borne out by the government’s own impact assessment, that it would lead to more strife. Rather than trying to resolve the situation, they tried to introduce forced labour into the country, to our eternal shame.

“First time they’ve tried it, they’ve backed off. I’m of the view they’ll try it again. Nobody can tell us how to safely do it.”

Separately, the Public and Commercial Services Union said on Saturday it would use the Human Rights Act to challenge the minimum service law. The announcement was made by the PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, at a rally to mark the 40th anniversary of the ban on trade unions at the GCHQ headquarters.

After the threatened extended rail strikes on the London-Newcastle-Edinburgh mainline, and potential for more elsewhere, the more localised 24-hour disruption of rolling walkouts may be a relief for passengers. However, given the lack of progress in more than 18 months of strikes, what does Whelan hope to achieve?

“Well, there are two choices in life – to do something or do nothing. And we don’t actually have the choice to do nothing,” he said.

“I’ve got drivers who in February [will] have gone five years without a pay deal – half a decade. People who put their lives at risk during a pandemic, to get other key workers to work and move food and medicine around the country.”

The strikes would, Whelan said, “keep raising the profile of our dispute until somebody comes to the table to resolve it with us. I’d happily go back into talks tomorrow to find a way forward – even though we’ve been crapped on from a great height twice before when we’ve gone into long-term talks.

“We’ve gone in in good faith, and at the end the Rail Delivery Group and the government behaved dishonourably and deceitfully. Still, we have to find a way to resolve it.”

An overtime ban starting on Monday will apply at all of the companies throughout the strike period. It is likely to cause additional disruption for operators such as TransPennine Express that rely on rest day working.

The RDG has advised passengers to check before they travel, while those who have to travel should expect disruption, plan ahead and check when their first and last train will depart.

A spokesperson for the RDG said: “There are no winners from these strikes that will unfortunately cause disruption for our customers. We believe rail can have a bright future, but right now taxpayers are contributing an extra £54m a week to keep services running post-Covid.

“Aslef’s leadership need to recognise the financial challenge facing rail. Drivers have been made an offer which would take base salaries to nearly £65,000 for a four-day week before overtime – that is well above the national average and significantly more than many of our customers that have no option to work from home are paid.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “The transport secretary and rail minister have already facilitated talks that led to this fair and reasonable offer from industry – Aslef bosses should put it to their members so we can resolve the dispute, which has already happened with the RMT, TSSA and Unite unions.

“With passenger revenues not having recovered since the pandemic, the taxpayer has had to prop up the railways with £12bn in the past year alone – these strikes will not change the need for urgent workplace reforms that Aslef continue to block.”

Train strikes start this week: Here’s everything you need to know

Guy Taylor
Mon, 29 January 2024 

Train drivers have announced strikes ARE OFF

Brits are facing yet more disruption this week as train drivers from the Aslef union walk-out in an ongoing feud over pay and working conditions.

A combination of strikes and a ban on overtime working will take place on separate days between Monday 29 January and Tuesday 6 February, affecting 17 train companies.

There will be no services at all on some days, while others will see services start later and finish much earlier than usual, typically running between 7:30am and 6:30pm.


It comes despite the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), which represents signalling staff, reaching a breakthrough agreement with government late last year, which averted disruption through Christmas and up to Spring.

Planned strikes at LNER scheduled to take place over the following week were called off after the operator agreed not to put minimum service levels in place during the primary set of walk-outs.
The dates:

Monday 29 January: overtime ban.

Tuesday 30 January: full strike action on Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, Great Northern and Thameslink.

Wednesday 31 January: full strike action on TransPennine Express and Northern.

Thursday 1 February: overtime ban.

Friday 2 February: full strike action on C2C, Greater Anglia and LNER.

Saturday 3 February: full strike action on Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and East Midlands Railway.

Sunday 4 February: overtime ban

Monday 5 February: Strikes at Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern.

Tuesday 6 February: overtime ban.
Background:

Industrial action by both Aslef and the RMT union has caused disruption since May 2022, as high inflation stokes issues with worker’s pay packets and Britain’s railways continue to endure a chequered post-Covid recovery.

In April 2023, Aslef, which represents train drivers, rejected the offer of a four per cent pay rise over the next two years in exchange for a guarantee they would accept changes to driver training practices and negotiate changes in working schedules at individual operators.

The standard salary for rail workers was £45,919 in 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). For train and tram drivers, median pay is just under £59,000.

Talks stalled throughout 2022 as the government and Aslef consistently accused the other party of failing to show up at the negotiating table.

Rail unions are also furious at new government legislation which enforces trade union workers to apply a minimum level of service in key sectors during strikes.

Mick Whelan, ASLEF General Secretary, said: “We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table but it is now a year since we had any contact from the Department for Transport. It’s clear they do not want to resolve this dispute.

“Many members have now not had a single penny increase in pay for half a decade, during which time inflation has soared and, with it, the cost of living. We didn’t ask for an increase during the pandemic, when we worked through lockdown, as key workers, risking our lives, to move goods around the country and enable NHS and other workers to get to work.”

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group said: “There are no winners from these strikes that will unfortunately cause disruption for our customers. We believe rail can have a bright future, but right now taxpayers are contributing an extra £54m a week to keep services running post covid.

“ASLEF’s leadership need to recognise the financial challenge facing rail. Drivers have been made an offer which would take base salaries to nearly £65,000 for a four-day week before overtime – that is well above the national average and significantly more than many of our customers that have no option to work from home are paid. Instead of staging more damaging industrial action, we call on the ASLEF leadership to work with us to resolve this dispute and deliver a fair deal which both rewards our people, and makes the changes needed to make services more reliable.

“While we are doing all we can to keep trains running, unfortunately there will be reduced services between Monday 29 January to Tuesday 6 February, so our advice is to check before you travel and follow the latest travel information.”