Rail passengers in England face fresh travel disruption from Tuesday as tens of thousands of workers take strike action in disputes over pay, jobs and conditions. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train operators will stage two 48-hour walkouts starting Tuesday and Friday, while drivers in the Aslef union will strike on Thursday.
Picket lines will again be mounted outside railway stations across the country. Passengers, including those returning to work after the festive break, are being warned to expect “significant disruption” as only a limited number of trains will run. The advice is to only travel if absolutely necessary, allow extra time and check when first and last trains will depart.
On RMT strike days, around half of the network will shut down, with only about 20% of normal services running. Trains that do run will start later and finish much earlier than usual – typically between 7.30am and 6.30pm. The train drivers’ strike on Thursday will affect 15 operators and result in even fewer services, with some companies operating “very significantly reduced” timetables.
Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at the Rail Delivery Group, apologised to passengers and businesses, urging passengers to travel only if absolutely necessary. He said the dispute will only be resolved by agreeing “long overdue reforms to working arrangements”. Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, blamed “unprecedented level of ministerial interference” for preventing a settlement, while Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the union is “in it for the long haul” as members have not had a pay rise since April 2019.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the government has demonstrated it is being reasonable and stands ready to facilitate a resolution, urging unions to step back from strike action to start 2023 by ending the dispute.
