A train strike is set to cause significant disruption on the London Euston route, with services on the West Coast Main Line severely reduced from Thursday to Saturday. The walkout, called by the TSSA union, will affect London Northwestern Railway (LNR) services, with some sections having no trains at all.
When is the strike and which routes are affected?
The strike will take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Friday and Saturday, only one train per hour will run on key routes, including Birmingham to Liverpool, London Euston to Crewe, Birmingham to Euston via Northampton, Milton Keynes to Euston, and Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey. On Friday, no trains will run after 7pm, with the final London Euston to Crewe departure at 3.46pm. On Saturday, trains will start later than usual, and services are likely to be busy. The Marston Vale Line (Bedford to Bletchley) and the Stafford to Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent route will have no service on Friday and Saturday. Some knock-on disruption is expected on Sunday morning due to displaced trains.
Why is the strike happening?
The TSSA union has called the strike over a dispute regarding rest day working payments. TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: 'These strikes will go ahead as planned because our members have not been given parity with those in other unions – a perfectly reasonable demand. As things stand we face an intolerable situation. Our reps at West Midlands Trains have consulted the membership and they remain determined to proceed with their legitimate action.' She added that the union only takes strike action as a last resort and hopes demands can be met to avoid further disruption.
LNR’s customer experience director Jonny Wiseman said: 'We are disappointed TSSA has called further unnecessary strike action which is set to cause significant disruption for our customers. We are working hard to reach a resolution to this dispute and urge TSSA to continue talks. We are sorry for the inconvenience this will cause our customers and we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact as much as possible. If the strike action does go ahead we will be running a significantly reduced timetable on both dates.'
Impact on passengers
Passengers are urged to check their journeys on the journey planner and expect busy services. The strike follows a summer of disruption on UK railways, including heatwaves causing melting tracks and signal faults, as well as Tube strikes. Avanti West Coast services are unaffected by this strike.
