Britain is set to face further travel disruption next month as 20,000 rail workers prepare for three days of strikes in their ongoing pay dispute. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) members will walk out at 14 train operators across England after the companies failed to present a revised pay offer.
The upcoming strike action will have an impact on fans planning to attend two of the Ashes Tests and The Open Championship golf tournament next month. Alongside this, train drivers at 16 rail operators have also refused to work overtime for six days, posing a threat to travel plans for tennis fans heading to Wimbledon.
When are the next train strikes?
The RMT has announced that 20,000 rail workers, including station staff, train managers, and catering workers across the UK, will strike on July 20, 22, and 29.
The strikes will coincide with cricket fans traveling to the fourth and fifth Ashes Tests. The fourth Test is scheduled to take place at Old Trafford between July 19 and July 23, while the fifth Test in London runs from July 27 until July 31.
The strikes also clash with The Open Championship, which will be held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club from July 20 to July 23.
In addition, an overtime ban for Aslef train drivers, which could result in last-minute cancellations, will take place from July 3 to July 8. This coincides with the first week of this year’s Wimbledon tournament, starting on July 3.
This follows the chaos caused by RMT and Aslef strikes in May, disrupting rail passengers attending events such as the FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” world tour concert, and the Eurovision final.
Which rail companies are affected?
The RMT members will strike at 14 rail companies, including:
- Avanti West Coast
- C2C
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- GTR (includes Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern, and Gatwick Express)
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia (includes Stansted Express)
- LNER
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
- GTR operates Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern, and Gatwick Express.
The impact of the Aslef overtime ban will vary for different operators. The affected train companies are:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Greater Anglia
- GWR
- GTR Great Northern Thameslink
- Island Line
- LNER
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- Southern
- Gatwick Express
- South Western Railway main line
- SWR depot drivers
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
Advice for travelling during train strikes
National Rail is warning passengers to expect “significant disruption” on strike days, with services likely to be affected and start later the following day.
National Rail has provided the following recommendations for passengers:
- Use the Journey Planner tool, checking close to the time of each strike date.
- Refer to the Live Trains page for real-time information on arrivals and departures.
- Plan ahead and check your entire journey, especially if you are traveling on the first and last trains of strike days.
Why are 20,000 rail workers striking again?
The RMT has accused train operators of failing to present a new pay offer to resolve the long-standing industrial action.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch stated, “My team of negotiators and I are available 24/7 for talks with the train operating companies and government ministers. Yet, remarkably, neither party has made any attempt whatsoever to arrange meetings or put forward a decent offer that can help us reach a negotiated solution.”
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