Next month, Britain is set to face additional travel disruptions as 20,000 rail workers prepare for a three-day strike over their ongoing pay dispute. Members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport union (RMT) will walk out at 14 train operators across England after failing to receive a revised pay offer from the companies.
This strike action will impact fans planning to attend two Ashes Tests and The Open Championship golf tournament. Moreover, train drivers at 16 rail operators have also decided to refuse overtime work for six days next month, potentially causing travel disruption for tennis fans heading to Wimbledon.
When are the upcoming train strikes?
The RMT has announced that 20,000 rail workers, including station staff, train managers, and catering workers, will strike on July 20, 22, and 29.
These strikes will coincide with the fourth and fifth Ashes Tests, with the fourth Test taking place at Old Trafford between July 19 and July 23, and the fifth Test running from July 27 to July 31 in London.
The strikes also clash with The Open Championship, scheduled from July 20 to July 23 at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Simultaneously, Aslef train drivers will implement an overtime ban for six days, starting from July 3 to July 8. This ban aligns with the first week of this year’s Wimbledon tournament, commencing on July 3.
In May, previous strikes by RMT and Aslef caused significant disruption for rail passengers attending events such as the FA Cup final, Epsom Derby, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” world tour concert, and the Eurovision final.
Which rail companies will be affected?
The RMT strike will impact 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 across 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.
Tips for traveling during train strikes
National Rail advises passengers to anticipate “significant disruption” on strike days, with services possibly starting later on the day following the strike. To minimize inconvenience, National Rail suggests that passengers:
- Use the Journey Planner, checking close to the time of each strike date.
- Refer to the Live Trains page for up-to-date information on arrivals and departures.
- Plan ahead and check all aspects of their journey, especially if traveling on the first and last trains of strike days.
Why are 20,000 rail workers striking again?
The RMT accuses train operators of failing to present a new pay offer that would resolve the ongoing industrial action. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch expressed disappointment in the lack of meetings or acceptable offers from the train operating companies and government ministers.
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