Major travel disruption across UK as train drivers strike over pay - find out the services affected

13 August 2022, 08:51 | Updated: 14 August 2022, 10:03

Rail passengers will face huge disruption today as train drivers at nine operating companies stage a 24-hour walkout in a row over pay and working conditions.

Football fans, tourists and holidaymakers will be among tens of thousands of passengers affected by the strikes by members of Aslef.

Workers at nine train companies will walk out for 24 hours, crippling large parts of the network, with some parts of the country having no services.

Passengers are being urged not to travel where possible and to check their journeys before setting off.

The strikes will hit Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains, with further industrial action planned in the coming weeks.

Passengers are also advised to consider starting journeys later on Sunday August 14.

Read more: Tube, train and bus strike dates: When are the walkouts set to cripple UK in August

Dick Fisher, organiser for Aslef Union, tells LBC why they are striking

The 24-hour walkout coincides with another busy weekend of football, with Premier League games in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Brighton likely to be affected.

Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strike can use their ticket either on the day before the date on the ticket, or up to and including Tuesday August 16, or can change their tickets to travel on an alternate date, or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.

An Arriva Rail London train driver, who declined to give her name, said she decided to join a London picket line as the company is "not prepared to sit down and talk with the drivers".

"They recorded a multi million-pound profit in the last financial year, they paid out all their shareholders, the management have had bonuses and we are in a cost-of-living crisis," she said.

"They're not prepared to sit down and talk to the drivers or any of the other staff, including cleaners and station staff, about paying workers better.

"It's not just for us as drivers, it's also for the other people in the company who are in more vulnerable positions.

"They've also threatened us with redundancies despite running a profit."

Paul Hutchings, Manager Director of Arriva Rail London, said they have worked hard to provide a pay offer that recognises the cost of living crisis piling pressure on families.

He said: “We are hugely disappointed in ASLEF’s decision to stage industrial action. We know our people are experiencing cost-of-living pressures and have worked hard to provide a pay offer that recognises this, while ensuring Arriva Rail London has a financially sustainable future and our employees have job security for the long term.

“We remain committed to engaging with ASLEF in the hope of resolving this dispute and urge the union to work with us as we continue to attract customers back to the railway.”

Aslef said that drivers on strike on Saturday have not had a pay increase for three years.

The union is also balloting drivers at Chiltern Railways, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express for strikes, with the results due later this month.

Chair of Rail Delivery Group Steve Montgomery on Aslef train driver strikes

Dick Fisher, an organiser for Aslef, told LBC the strike is all about train drivers' pay, as he joined the picket line at Euston Station in London.

"They worked all through the pandemic and they haven't had a pay rise in three years, they're saying 'enough is enough'," he said.

"The employers aren't listening, we've put in pay claims for three years that are basically being ignored."

He said they are calling for a meeting with their employer to find a "sensible way forward", but claims they are "not talking to us".

Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, condemned Aslef's strikes, and said they are "damaging" for the economy.

He told LBC official talks will take place with Aslef and the RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) next week in what he described a "good step forward".

Strikes will also take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday next week - with the rail network, Tube and London buses affected.

Which services are affected by today's strikes?

Avanti West Coast

All services across Avanti West Coast routes have been cancelled.

Chiltern Railways

The company is "strongly" advising customers to avoid travelling unless they have to, given a knock-on effect from other operators.

Busy trains, short-notice cancellations and delays are all thought to be likely.

A reduced service of one train per hour is running on the Aylesbury Vale Parkway - Marylebone route between noon and 8pm.

CrossCountry

CrossCountry will not run any services on Saturday.

Gatwick Express

Although its drivers are not striking, services are likely to be "impacted" given industrial action on London Overground and Southeastern.

Great Western Railway

A limited service will operate between Bristol Temple Meads - London Paddington, Reading - Oxford and Reading - Basingstoke.

Timetables will start later and finish earlier than normal.

Greater Anglia

Greater Anglia has asked customers to avoid travelling with their "heavily reduced and disrupted" service.

One train per hour will run in each direction between London - Norwich, London - Colchester, Southend Victoria - Liverpool Street, and Liverpool Street - Stansted Airport.

Heathrow Express

All Heathrow Express services have been cancelled.

Hull Trains

A "significantly reduced" timetable is running, consisting of one service to and from King's Cross.

London North Eastern Railway

No trains are running north from Edinburgh Waverley, while southbound trains are restricted to one every two hours.

No trains are running north from Leeds, while just one train is running south to London King's Cross.

One northbound train per hour is running from King's Cross, while one northbound and one southbound train is running every two hours from Newcastle.

London Northwestern Railway

No London Northwestern Railway services are running.

Northern

Although services are running as normal, strikes affecting other operators could make trains busier than normal.

Southeastern

All Southeastern services have been cancelled.

Southern

Southern drivers are not involved in Aslef's strike, but services may be "impacted" given disruption on London Overground and Southeastern.

Stansted Express

Stansted Express has advised customers to avoid travelling on Saturday.

One train each way is running between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street every hour.

Engineering work means there will be a bus during the journey between Waltham Cross and Harlow Town.

Transport for Wales

Although not directly affected by strikes, services are likely to be hit by the reduced timetable of other operators.

Customers have been advised to avoid non-essential travel between Carmarthen - Newport, Cardiff - Lydney, Shrewsbury - Wolverhampton, and North Wales Coast, since trains are expected to be busy.

West Midlands Railway

No West Midlands Railway services are running on Saturday.