Rail passengers will suffer fresh travel disruption in the next few days because of more strikes in long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
Train companies are warning that services will be “severely reduced” because of industrial action by drivers and other workers.
Members of the drivers’ union Aslef will walk out on Wednesday and June 3, while the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has called a strike on June 2.
Passengers are being advised to plan ahead and check the times of first and last trains.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, told the PA news agency there was “no waning in enthusiasm” from train drivers to continue taking industrial action.
He said: “We are determined to get a resolution and remain in this for the long haul.
“It is time for the Government to step back from interference which is preventing a deal – drivers, in line with other workers, deserve a pay rise after four years without one and inflation running over the last 12 months north of 10%.”
The strikes will affect 15 train companies, with services due to start later and finish much earlier than usual – typically between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said it is expected that nationally services will be severely reduced, with variations across the network and no services at all in some areas.
On the RMT strike day, around half of the network will shut down, with around 50% of normal services running.
On Aslef strike days, around 40% of trains will be running but there will be wide regional variations, with some operators running no services at all.
It is likely that evening services on some lines will be affected on the days before each strike, so passengers are advised to check the last train times on the evenings before strike days and the mornings following strikes.
Aslef will also also start an overtime ban at 15 train operating companies on June 1 that could cause disruption, especially in and out of London.
The industrial action will affect football fans travelling to London for the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.
Fans wishing to travel to the game by train from Manchester were advised not to attempt to do so on the day.
There will be a limited service on Friday due to the RMT industrial action.
Industrial action on Saturday will also affect more than 100,000 people travelling to the annual Epsom Derby as well as fans travelling to Beyonce’s Renaissance world tour concert at Tottenham’s stadium and cricket fans travelling to watch the England v Ireland Test match at Lord’s.
An RDG spokesperson said: “The upcoming rail strikes called by the Aslef and RMT leadership will not only affect our passengers’ daily commute, but will also impact those travelling to and from the FA Cup final and other events across the country, causing disappointment and frustration for tens of thousands of people.
“It will also inconvenience families who have been looking forward and have planned their half-term holidays. It will also further burden our people who have already lost thousands of pounds at a time of financial strain.
“We understand the impact of these strikes on individuals and businesses alike, and we can only apologise for this unnecessary and damaging disruption.
“While we are doing all we can to keep trains running, unfortunately there will be reduced train services between Wednesday May 31 and Saturday June 3, so our advice is to check before you travel.
“Passengers with Advance tickets can be refunded fee-free if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.”
The unions say they have not been given a pay offer it can recommend to their members.
Officials say support for industrial action remains strong among workers as well as the public.
Aslef says train drivers have not had a pay rise for four years.
Both unions claim the Government is preventing the train companies making an acceptable offer, which ministers deny.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “These strikes have been co-ordinated by union leaders to disrupt passengers in a week which will see major events such as the first ever all Manchester FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby and a number of concerts and festivals across the UK.
“Not content with impacting the hundreds of thousands of people who have looked forward to these events all year round, unions are also targeting their own members’ pockets by forcing them to miss out on pay every time they strike.
“The Government has facilitated a fair and reasonable pay offer, now union leaders must do the right thing and put this to their members.”
How will this week’s rail strikes affect each train operator?
Train services are being hit by more strike action this week.
Train drivers who are members of Aslef will walk out on Wednesday and Saturday, while workers who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will strike on Friday.
Here is a breakdown of each operator’s plan for strike days:
– Avanti West Coast
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: One train per hour will run in each direction between London Euston and each of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston, with a limited service to and from Glasgow.
There will be no services to or from North Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent or Edinburgh, while Macclesfield station will be closed.
The first train of the day from Euston will depart at around 8am, and the last will leave shortly after 5pm.
Saturday: No trains.
– c2c
Wednesday: Usual timetable.
Friday: No major impact but 12-carriage trains will not stop at Limehouse, east London.
Saturday: Usual timetable.
– Caledonian Sleeper
Wednesday: Usual timetable.
Friday: All services will be operating via the East Coast Main Line due to engineering works.
Saturday: The Caledonian Sleeper does not operate on Saturday nights.
– Chiltern Railways
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: Services will be limited to one train per hour from around 8am until 10pm in both directions between London Marylebone and each of Banbury, Oxford and Aylesbury via High Wycombe; and between Amersham and Aylesbury Vale Parkway.
No trains will run between Banbury and each of Birmingham and Stourbridge Junction, or between Hatton and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Saturday: No trains.
– CrossCountry
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: A limited service will operate. No trains will run between Birmingham New Street and Cardiff Central or Nottingham.
Saturday: No trains.
– East Midlands Railway
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: Services will run between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
They will be limited to just one train per hour in each direction between London St Pancras and each of Nottingham, Sheffield and Corby, as well as a handful of regional routes such as between Leicester and Lincoln.
Saturday: No trains.
– Elizabeth line
Wednesday: Usual timetable.
Friday: The Elizabeth line is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but there will be some alterations to its services.
These include no trains between Maidenhead and Reading before 7am or after 7pm, and no trains between Brentwood and Shenfield from 11.30pm.
Saturday: Usual timetable.
– Gatwick Express
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: No trains but Southern and Thameslink will serve Gatwick Airport until early afternoon.
Saturday: No trains.
– Grand Central
Wednesday: Grand Central is not involved in the industrial dispute with Aslef but there will be minor alterations to its services due to engineering work.
Friday: Grand Central is not involved in the industrial dispute with the RMT but there will be minor alterations to its services.
Saturday: Usual timetable.
– Great Northern
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm. There will be no trains between Ely and King’s Lynn.
Saturday: No trains.
– Great Western Railway
Wednesday and Saturday: A limited service will run and only between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
The only open routes will be between: London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads; Reading and Didcot; Reading and Basingstoke; Reading and Redhill; Westbury and Swindon; Cardiff and Bristol; Exeter and Barnstaple; Plymouth and Gunnislake; and Penzance and St Ives.
The Night Riviera sleeper service is cancelled.
Friday: More routes will be open compared with Wednesday, including additions such as between London Paddington and Cardiff; London Paddington and Plymouth; and Slough and Windsor.
– Greater Anglia
Wednesday: A reduced service will run and only from 7am, with last trains earlier than normal.
The only routes open will be between London Liverpool Street and each of Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich and Southend Victoria.
Friday: Trains will run between 7am and 11pm.
Some routes will have a reduced frequency, but most will have a normal or near-normal service.
Saturday: A reduced service will run and only from 7am, with last trains earlier than normal.
Most routes will be closed, including between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge.
– Heathrow Express
Wednesday: An hourly service between 7am and 7pm.
Friday: Usual timetable.
Saturday: No trains.
– Hull Trains
All strike days: Usual timetable.
– London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
All strike days: A limited timetable will operate and only between London King’s Cross and both Edinburgh and Leeds.
– London Northwestern Railway
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm.
The only open routes will be between Birmingham New Street and each of London Euston, Birmingham International and Liverpool Lime Street.
Saturday: No trains.
– London Overground
Wednesday and Friday: London Overground is not involved in the industrial disputes but there will be minor alterations to some services.
Saturday: Usual timetable
– Lumo
All strike days: Usual timetable.
– Merseyrail
All strike days: Usual timetable.
– Northern
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: Only a handful of routes will be open, such as between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester; Leeds and York; and Darlington and Saltburn.
Saturday: No trains.
– ScotRail
All strike days: Usual timetable.
– South Western Railway
Wednesday: Services will be reduced and there will be no trains on the Isle of Wight.
Friday: A reduced service will operate and only between 7am and 7pm.
Saturday: Services will be reduced and there will be no trains on the Isle of Wight.
– Southeastern
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: A reduced service will operate, with some routes closed.
Saturday: No trains.
– Southern
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: A reduced service will operate and only between 7am and 7pm.
No trains will run between Hemel Hempstead and Clapham Junction; London Bridge and Norwood Junction; Southampton Central and Barnham; and Eastbourne and Ashford International.
Saturday: No trains.
– Stansted Express
Wednesday and Saturday: Frequencies will be halved to one train per hour in each direction.
Friday: Services will not start until after 7am.
– Thameslink
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: A reduced service will operate and only between 7am and 7pm.
Services will be split north and south, with nothing running between London St Pancras and London Blackfriars.
Saturday: No trains.
– TransPennine Express
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: A reduced timetable will operate and only between Liverpool Lime Street and each of Preston and York; and between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.
Saturday: No trains.
– Transport for Wales
All strike days: Transport for Wales is not involved in the industrial disputes but some of its services will be amended.
West Midlands Railway
Wednesday: No trains.
Friday: A limited service will run and only between 7am and 7pm.
The only open routes will be between Birmingham New Street and each of Wolverhampton, Rugeley Trent Valley, Lichfield Trent Valley, Redditch and Bromsgrove; between Kidderminster and Whitlocks End/Dorridge via Birmingham Snow Hill; and between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town.
Saturday: No trains.
