Train services across Great Britain will be massively disrupted on Saturday by the latest 24-hour strike by rail unions.
How bad will the impact be for passengers?
This will be the most disruptive rail strike yet this year. Only about 11% of services will run, and there will be no direct trains from London to a number of cities, including Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Newcastle, Brighton and Norwich.
What is the strike about?
Ultimately, pay: many rail staff have not had a pay rise in three years, having kept services running during the pandemic, and now inflation is eroding their wages fast. However, the train operators under contract to the government have been told to limit increases due to the sharp decline in rail passenger revenue, while Network Rail also says rises must be paid for by workplace “modernisation”.
Why is it so disruptive this time?
This is the first time that a number of unions have combined action on the same day – in particular, the train drivers in the Aslef union and the Network Rail signallers in the RMT union, who are critical in keeping services running. Some members of the TSSA and Unite unions are also on strike. While the rail industry says thousands of back-up staff will work, it cannot replace drivers nor all of the signallers.
Which services are affected?
Services in most companies where Aslef drivers are in dispute, which is virtually of them.
No trains at all will run on Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, London Overground, Northern, Southeastern, and West Midlands Railway.
A handful of services will be run by the remaining operators where Aslef has called a strike: Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER and TransPennine Express.
Beyond those firms, the strike by signallers predominantly affects smaller lines – wiping out rail transport across much of rural England, Scotland and all of Wales outside the Cardiff area.
So what will be running, and can people travel?
There will be a very limited schedule on Saturday, a few trains an hour, between 7am and 7pm, on services where the train drivers are not on strike. Network Rail has advised passengers who still wish to travel to only do so if absolutely necessary and to expect disruption to even the limited advertised services.
Passengers should check National Rail Enquiries or train operator websites for updates, especially for times of the last train to depart.
What if I already have a ticket?
Passengers with a ticket for Saturday whose journey is cancelled or rescheduled are entitled to a refund. They can also travel on another day up to and including Tuesday 4 October. Season ticket holders should get compensation, through the delay repay scheme.
What about the rest of the week?
Services will also be disrupted on Sunday morning, due to the after-effects of the strike, with a later start. More strikes are on their way: Aslef drivers will stage another 24-hour strike this Wednesday 5 October, while RMT members will be out next Saturday, 8 October.
