Millions of passengers are set to face cancellations and disruptions due to this weekend's train strikes. Since June 2022, there have been national train strikes in dispute over pay, working conditions and jobs.
The main rail union RMT and the train drivers' union Aslef have called on more walk-outs in May and June. Staff are set to stop working at more than a dozen train operators, including those that travel on various Welsh trainlines. The Aslef Union is due to strike on Friday, May 12, while members of the RMT union will walk out on Saturday, May 13.
Travellers that are trying to reach the Eurovision Song Contest, which is taking place in Liverpool on Saturday, could also find their trains are cancelled due to industrial action. The decision to hold a strike day on the same day as the grand final of the song contest has been hit by criticism.
Read more: Eurovision 2023 TV schedule from opening ceremony to semi-final dates and grand final
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has accused the unions of "cynically targeting" Eurovision. He added: "The reason why that’s so appalling is that it’s not our song contest, we’re hosting it for Ukraine. And I’ve met the head of the Ukrainian railways – Putin is targeting Ukrainian railways.
"There are hundreds of Ukrainian railway staff who have been killed. What we should be doing is being in solidarity with them, not targeting an event." However, RMT union chief, Mick Lynch, has objected these claims. He said: "The reason we named that date is because it’s the last day of our mandate.
"We don’t pick out events in our union. We don’t say: 'we’ll disrupt that event, or we’ll disrupt that event', we want to go on strike on Saturdays because it’s the busiest day on the railway now following the changes from Covid and our members want to strike on Saturdays. That is the only available date that is available to us within that mandate, that’s why we picked it".
Passengers have been advised to plan ahead and check online planners before travelling. Here's everything you need to know about the industrial action and how it will affect train services and passengers.
What dates are strike days?
Friday, May 12 (strike action by Aslef union)
Saturday, May 13 (strike action by RMT union)
Wednesday, May 31 (strike action by Aslef union)
Saturday, June 3 (strike action by Aslef union)
Which train operators will be affected?
The following 16 train operators are to be affected by this industrial action:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia
- GTR Great Northern Thameslink
- London North Eastern Railway
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- Southern/Gatwick Express
- South Western Railway
- SWR depot drivers
- SWR Island Line
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
Will it affect train services here in Wales?
Transport for Wales
Although not involved in the industrial action, Transport for Wales has said that some of their services are likely to be affected by the strikes. In a statement released on their website, they said: "Some of our services are likely to be extremely busy as a result of the severely-reduced timetable put in place by other operators.
"Transport for Wales (TfW) is not involved in industrial action by members of the train driver's union ASLEF and members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT). TfW services will be running but other train operators' services across the whole of Wales, England and Scotland will be limited."
As a result, some journeys on Transport for Wales services will be affected on Friday, May 12, Saturday, May 13, Wednesday, May 31 and Saturday, June 3. Transport for Wales have asked passengers to check their entire journey, including services operated by other rail operators, as their service level may differ to them.
Great Western Railway
As some Great Western Railway staff are members of the Aslef or RMT unions, strike action will affect GWR rail services on Friday, May 12, Saturday, May 13, Wednesday, May 31 and Saturday, June 3. In addition, GWR has said there will be "further disruption" from Monday, May 15, to Saturday, May 20, as well as Saturday May 13 and Thursday, June 1, due to industrial action short of a strike.
This action short of strike is likely to cause some short-notice alterations or cancellations. Great Western Railway has advised passengers to check their journey before setting out. On the strike days "a reduced, revised timetable" will operate across several train operators, including GWR.
But many parts of the GWR network will have no service at all. Services will start later and only operate for a limited period during the day. During action short of a strike and the days after strikes, services could also be affected by a limited number of short-notice cancellations and alterations.
Online journey planners are being updated on a passenger information table, which you can find here. Passengers who have already purchased their tickets for strike days can claim a full refund or amend their ticket.
Merseyrail
For those travelling from north or south Wales to get to the Eurovision Song Contest, you will more than likely need a train from Chester to Liverpool Lime Street via Merseyrail. On their website, Merseyrail has said that they are often not involved in any strikes, but that other operating companies which are on strike can have an impact on Merseyrail's services. However, the confirmed strike action dates of Friday, May 12, Saturday, May 13, Wednesday May 31, and Saturday, June 3, will not affect the Merseyrail services.
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