In the month ahead, Britain will confront additional travel disruptions as 20,000 rail workers prepare for a three-day strike in their ongoing pay dispute. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members will walk out at 14 train operators across England after these companies failed to present an improved pay offer.
This strike action will have an impact on fans who were looking forward to attending two Ashes Tests as well as The Open Championship golf tournament.
In addition to this, train drivers at 16 rail operators have decided not to work overtime for six days in July, which could potentially cause travel disruptions 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, will go on strike on July 20, 22, and 29. These three days of strikes will affect cricket fans traveling 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, to Monday, July 31.
Furthermore, these strikes will coincide with The Open Championship, which is set to occur at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club from Thursday, July 20, to Sunday, July 23.
Simultaneously, the Aslef train drivers’ overtime ban, which may lead to last-minute cancellations, will take place over six days, starting from Monday, July 3, to Saturday, July 8. This industrial action aligns with the first week of this year’s Wimbledon tournament, which begins on Monday, July 3.
In May, RMT and Aslef strikes caused chaos for rail passengers, impacting 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?
Members of the RMT 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 level of disruption from the Aslef overtime ban will vary for different operators. The train companies affected are:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country
- 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 advises passengers to anticipate “significant disruption” on strike days and expects services to be disrupted and start later on the day following the strike.
Passengers are recommended to:
- Use the Journey Planner provided by National Rail and check for updates close to the time of each strike date.
- Refer to the Live Trains page for the latest information on arrivals and departures.
- Plan ahead and check their entire journey, especially if they are traveling on the first and last trains on strike days.
Why are 20,000 rail workers striking again?
The RMT has accused train operators of not presenting a new pay offer to resolve the ongoing 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 quite incredibly, 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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