Today marks the beginning of a set of nationwide train strikes that will see around 40,000 railway workers walk out in what is being called the 'biggest rail strike in modern history.'
Services will be severely disrupted and in some cases non-existent today as well as on Thursday and Saturday when further industrial action is set to take place. The action has been called and voted for by members of the Rail and Maritime Transport Workers Union, with staff from Network Rail and 13 train firms to walk out.
Today, on the first day of the strike, London Underground RMT workers will also walk out in a separate dispute over pensions and job losses, taking the total number of staff - along those from with Network Rail and the train companies - to more than 50,000.
READ MORE: Train strike: Liverpool MPs, councillors and others back walk-outs this week
The union says the action is taking place because Network Rail plans to cut up to 2,500 jobs as part of a £2bn reduction in spending, with proposed job cuts including workers who maintain tracks, signals and overhead lines. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said that railway workers have been 'treated appallingly' and are facing either losing their jobs or accepting another pay freeze during a cost of living crisis.
Mr Lynch added: "We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze."
Network Rail boss Andrew Haines said 'travel habits have changed and the railway must change as well.' He added: "We cannot expect to take more than our fair share of public funds, and so we must modernise our industry to put it on a sound financial footing for the future. Failure to modernise will only lead to industry decline and more job losses in the long run."
The RMT has clashed with the government and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps over the strike plan. Mr Shapps accused the union of seeking to trigger 'some sort of class war', adding: "The strike is the last thing we need, it’s jumping the gun, it’s unnecessary, talks are still ongoing.”
Responding, RMT boss Mr Lynch said: "Grant Shapps needs to stop smearing the RMT and unshackle the rail operating companies so they can come to a negotiated settlement that can end this dispute. Railway workers voted overwhelmingly for strike action in defence of their jobs and for a pay rise that deals with the rising cost of living. It is insulting to them to suggest they do not understand the issues that affect their daily lives or cannot make a democratic decision by themselves."
How Merseyside will be impacted by strikes
The strike action will have a severe impact on travel across the Liverpool City Region. The strikes will cause the entire Merseyrail network will shut down on all three days.
Whilst Merseyrail staff are not taking part in the industrial action, it will involve Network Rail staff who operate the signalling systems and provide crucial maintenance which allow services to run safely. The operator says it is unable to provide any train services on days when industrial action is taking place. There will be no rail replacement buses on strike days and passengers are advised to make alternative travel arrangements.
Merseyrail said while trains will run on the days between the strikes next week, there will be knock on impacts going into the post-strike days. Replacement buses will be used for the first morning services on Wednesday and Friday, with normal trains running again from 7am.
Do you support the industrial action? Let us know how it has affected you by filling in our survey here.
It's not much better news for operators that run trains in and out of our region. Services that do run will start and finish much earlier than usual, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, with train operators expecting to run very limited timetables. The operators have told passengers to not travel on the strike days unless absolutely necessary. Customers should try to find alternative transport to and from the city if their journey is essential.
Three train operators into the city - Northern Trains, TransPenine Express and Avanti West Coast - have all said they will be running hugely reduced services on the strike days which will also have a knock-on effect on the days in-between. Northern Trains asked customers not to travel at all on services between June 21 and 26. The train operator is going to run a limited service between Alderley Edge and Lime Street with the last train arriving in the city at 6.21pm.
Avanti West Coast expects to run 25% of its typical timetable on June 21 and 23 and a third of its typical Saturday timetable on June 25. It expects to run one train per hour from Euston to Liverpool and customers are advised to only travel if necessary and to expect severe disruption. TransPenine Express also urged travellers to only make essential journeys with only 10% of their usual timetable running on the affected days.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
