ASLEF, the train drivers union, has announced further strike action, with the union saying it will severely disrupt passengers, with operators potentially forced to cancel all services.
The 16 companies affected include: Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; c2c; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; Great Western Railway; Island Line; LNER; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.
Strike action will take place on Saturday 30th September and Wednesday 4th October.
An overtime ban will take place on Friday 29th September and between Monday 2nd October until Friday 6th October.
Will my train journey be affected? If you are planning a journey, and are wondering if your journey will be affected, scroll down for details on how to check.
Mick Whelan, ASLEF's general secretary, said: ‘While we regret having to take this action – we don't want to lose a day's pay, or disrupt passengers, as they try to travel by train – the government, and the employers, have forced us into this position. Our members have not, now, had a pay rise for four years – since 2019 – and that's not right when prices have soared in that time. Train drivers, perfectly reasonably, want to be able to buy now what they could buy four years ago.'
‘Do you remember Where's Wally? Well, what we want to know is Where's Harper? We last saw the Secretary of State for Transport in December. We last saw Huw Merriman, the Rail Minister, in January. And we last saw the train companies in April. Since then, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Not a letter, not an email, not a text message, not a phone call, not a WhatsApp. Not a word!'
‘So where is Mark Harper? He holds the purse strings. The train companies have told us. They say they cannot act without his say-so. He's the puppet master controlling the companies. But he's hiding. What's the man afraid of? We think it's time Harper stepped up to the mark…'
How to check if your train is running
For the latest information on which trains are expected to run during the action, you should either visit the relevant train operators website, or alternatively, go to https://www.nationalrail.co.uk
I am affected as well but if I strike my job is not a problem for society, a railway worker doesn’t choose to impact society but I he still works for his money and has the same right on a fair job as everybody else ..
The railway is a complex system the train driver doesn’t contol this please be nice, yes it sucks and crosses my plans but if their is anyone left to work at the railways due to bad working climate public transport dependant poeple really are in troublem..
Until drivers start delivering a proper service, they don’t deserve a payrise.
Train Drivers don’t run Train Operating Companies, they are often owned by Europeon Railway Companies who are more interested in making a financial return for their owners. You are blaming the wrong people for the failures of the railways in England.