Hours before the next round of national rail strikes was due to begin, the RMT union called off the action – saying it has “secured unconditional talks on Network Rail and the promise of an offer from the train operating companies”.
But the decision has come too late to reinstate many of the widespread train cancellations that have been made because of the strikes.
Which strikes have been called off?
Strikes had been planned by staff working for Network Rail on Saturday 5, Monday 7 and Saturday 9 November, with staff at 14 train operators stopping work on 5 and 9 November.
The union says it “will now enter into a period of intensive negotiations with Network Rail and the train operating companies”.
How much difference will it make it to people travelling this weekend?
It varies according to the train operator and route.
Rosters are usually drawn up a week in advance, and therefore few extra services will run on Saturday beyond those already planned: the schedules are already “baked in”.
The first cancellation as a result of the national strikes, Friday’s 5.30pm Grand Central from Sunderland to London, went ahead two hours after the industrial action was called off.
GWR, connecting London Paddington with South Wales and the West of England, said: “Services tomorrow [Saturday] will still be severely affected with no trains running on many parts of the network.”
At 7am on Saturday morning, TransPennine Express tweeted: “Strike action is taking place today and we're only able to run services between #Huddersfield and #York. Please only travel if absolutely necessary.
“Services are also affected tomorrow, with trains starting later and finishing earlier than usual,”
One notable exception is Southeastern, linking London with Kent and East Sussex, which has restored a fairly decent service to Canterbury, Hastings and Maidstone as well as southeast London. The first train to run anywhere in Great Britain was the 6.28am from London Victoria to Orpington.
Merseyrail has also reinstated many more trains in the Liverpool area.
Which trains are running on intercity lines?
On Saturday, planned “strikebreaking” services will run on key intercity lines, with one or two trains an hour for London to Brighton via Gatwick, Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Cambridge and Norwich.
There are also links around Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Trains will start later and finish much earlier than usual, between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
Planned engineering work is reducing some intercity services on the East Coast and West Coast main lines.
Early trains on Sunday morning that have already been cancelled in anticipation of the strike are unlikely to be reinstated.
Will Monday and the rest of the working week be back to normal?
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators, said: “The late notice means that while train companies are working hard to reinstate services, they will remain severely disrupted for our passengers into the early part of next week.
“Please check before you travel and on Monday and only travel by rail if absolutely necessary.”
Train operators will be doing their best over the weekend to ramp up services, particularly on lines that were expected to be closed – and providing as many rush-hour services as possible.
But it would be unwise to plan any journey until you have confirmation your train will run.
LNER, which runs on the East Coast main line from London to Yorkshire, northeast England and Scotland, said: “ Due to the late notice, current timetables for 5 and 7 November will remain the same. We are reviewing the timetable for 9 November.”
But Avanti West Coast, which connects London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England and southern Scotland, says: “Previous advice about timetables, ticket acceptance and refunds remains unchanged.” A skeleton service is therefore expected to run on Monday and Wednesday. The firm says: “On 5, 6, 7 and 9 November, we strongly advise to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary.”
East Midlands Railway, linking Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and Leicester with London, said: “Although strike action has been suspended, it is too short notice to reinstate our normal timetable. Our amended timetable will remain in place today and also Monday, with the expectation of running a normal timetable Wednesday.”
Is it all sweetness and light in the rail industry now?
Far from it. Industrial action in separate disputes involving members working for London Underground and London Overground will affect people travelling in the capital on 10 November.
Further strikes by the drivers’ union, Aslef, are likely. Mick Whelan, the general secretary, said: “The train companies have been determined to force our hand. They are telling train drivers to take a real terms pay cut.”
In addition, morale across the rail industry is low, with several train operators reporting higher-than-normal levels of staff sickness.
TransPennine Express is running a reduced timetable to 10 December at the earliest, with dozens of additional short-notice cancellations.
Avanti West Coast is also operating an emergency schedule as most drivers are choosing not to work on their rest day.
Staff at ScotRail are currently refusing overtime as part of a dispute over pay. ScotRail says: “The action short of a strike will see some daily cancellations, as the operation of ScotRail services requires rest day working and overtime as recruitment continues.”
And the RMT reminds the travelling public: “The current dispute remains very much live, and the union is continuing its re-ballot of members to secure a fresh mandate for action with the result due on 15 November.”
