Commuters are bracing for travel chaos this month as 20,000 rail workers prepare for three days of strikes amid their prolonged pay dispute.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members will once again walk out at 14 train operators across England after the companies failed to present a revised pay offer.
This latest strike action will have a significant impact, not only on commuters but also on fans looking to attend two of the Ashes Tests and The Open Championship golf tournament.
Furthermore, train drivers at 16 rail operators have already refused to work overtime for six days in July, posing a threat to travel plans for tennis fans heading to Wimbledon. In addition, London Underground workers have planned four days of walkouts in July.
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 be striking on the following days:
- Thursday, July 20
- Saturday, July 22
- Saturday, July 29
The three-day strikes will particularly impact cricket fans travelling to the fourth and fifth Ashes Tests.
The fourth Ashes Test is scheduled to take place at Old Trafford in Manchester from Wednesday, July 19 to Sunday, July 23. The fifth Test in London will run from Thursday, July 27 until Monday, July 31.
Additionallly, the strikes coincide with The Open Championship, which will be held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club from Thursday, July 20 until Sunday, July 23.
Meanwhile, the Aslef train drivers’ overtime ban, which may result in last-minute cancellations, will be in effect for six days from Monday, July 3 to Saturday, July 8.
This industrial action aligns with the first week of this year’s Wimbledon tournament, which commenced on Monday, July 3.
These strikes come on the heels of previous disruptions caused by RMT and Aslef strikes in May. These strikes affected rail passengers attending events such as the FA Cup final at Wembley, the Epsom Derby, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” world tour concert at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the Eurovision final in Liverpool.
Which rail companies are affected?
The RMT members will be striking 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 level of disruption caused by the Aslef overtime ban will vary among 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 traveling during train strikes
National Rail warns passengers to anticipate “significant disruption” on strike days. Additionally, services are likely to be disrupted and start later the day after the strikes.
National Rail has provided the following recommendations to passengers:
- Use the Journey Planner tool to check close to the time of each strike date.
- Refer to the Live Trains page for the most up-to-date information on arrivals and departures.
- Plan ahead and check your entire journey before you travel, especially if you’ll be taking the first and last trains on strike days.
Train station ticket office closures
According to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), nearly all railway station ticket offices will be shut, with staff being relocated to station platforms and concourses. Ticket office facilities will remain open only at the busiest stations.
Posters will be displayed in stations to inform passengers about potential closures. The final decision on which offices will be closed will be made by the government following a consultation. The timeframe for the closure of the first offices is not yet known, but the closure program is expected to span three years.
Why are 20,000 rail workers striking again?
The RMT has accused train operators of failing to make a new pay offer to resolve the ongoing industrial action.
Regarding this, Mr. 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 any meetings or put forward a decent offer that can help us reach a negotiated solution.”
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