This month, Britain is set to experience further travel disruption as 20,000 rail workers prepare for three days of strikes in their ongoing dispute over pay. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) members will walk out at 14 train operators across England after the companies failed to make a revised pay offer.
The upcoming strikes will significantly impact fans hoping to attend two Ashes Tests and The Open Championship golf tournament. In addition, train drivers at 16 rail operators have already refused to work overtime for six days in July, which poses a threat of travel disruption for tennis fans heading to Wimbledon.
When will the next train strikes occur?
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.
These three days of strikes will directly affect cricket fans traveling to the fourth and fifth Ashes Tests. The fourth Test will be held at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 19 to July 23, while the fifth Test in London will take place from July 27 to July 31.
Furthermore, these strikes will clash with The Open Championship, happening at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club from July 20 to July 23.
Simultaneously, there will be an overtime ban on Aslef train drivers for six days, from July 3 to July 8, which may lead to last-minute cancellations. This coincides with the first week of Wimbledon, starting on July 3.
In May, previous strikes by RMT and Aslef caused havoc for rail passengers, including those attending 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 by the strikes?
RMT members will go on strike at 14 rail companies, including:
- Avanti West Coast
- C2C
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- GTR (which includes Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern, and Gatwick Express)
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia (including 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 the train strikes
National Rail advises passengers to expect “significant disruption” during strike days. Services are also likely to be disrupted and start later on the day immediately following the strikes.
Here are some recommendations from National Rail for passengers:
- Use the Journey Planner and check close to the time of each strike date.
- Refer to the Live Trains page for the most up-to-date information about arrivals and departures.
- Plan ahead and check your entire journey, especially if you’re traveling on the first and last trains of strike days.
Why are 20,000 rail workers going on strike again?
The RMT has accused train operators of failing to make a new pay offer to end 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, surprisingly, neither party has made any attempt to arrange meetings or put forward a decent offer that can help us reach a negotiated solution.”
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