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Passengers warned to expect disruption due to another 24 hour strike on 13th August

Rail companies are advising passengers that some services will be severely disrupted on Saturday 13 August, as a result of a further train driver strike called the leadership of train drivers’ union Aslef.

There will be disruption to some parts of the rail network on Sunday 13 August and into the morning of Sunday 14 August due to a 24-hour walkout of train drivers from: Arriva Rail London, Avanti West Coast, Crosscountry, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains. 

Passengers are advised if they’re travelling the morning of Sunday 14th to check with their operator and consider starting their journey later.  The industry is finalising a revised timetable which is expected to be available for passengers on Tuesday 9 August.

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Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strike on 13 August can use their ticket either on the day before the date on the ticket, or up to and including Tuesday 16 August. Passengers can also change their tickets to travel on an alternate date, or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled. 

Passengers with a season ticket that is monthly or longer or who have an activated days’ worth of travel on a flexi season ticket who choose not to travel on 13 August, can claim compensation for these days through the delay repay scheme.  If you need to travel on the 13th and already have a ticket, please check with the train company you booked to travel with in advance of your journey for advice on what to do with your ticket.

If your local operator is impacted by industrial action, you should check journey planners on National Rail Enquiries or operator websites to find alternative route options.

Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “The Aslef leadership has for the second time in as many weeks, decided to impose yet more uncertainty for passengers and businesses by disrupting passengers’ weekend plans.

“My open invitation for talks with Aslef stands. The railway is too important to this country to allow decline, but with passenger numbers still 20% below pre-pandemic levels securing a bright future means we have to adapt to attract more people back. We call on Aslef to come to the table, so we can fund the pay rise we want to give our people while delivering the improvements in Sunday services and greater punctuality our passengers deserve.

“While we will do all that we can to minimise disruption and to get people where they need to be, if you are going to travel on the routes affected, please plan ahead and check the latest travel advice and be aware that services may start later the morning after strikes.”

Commenting on the strike action, Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF said: “Strikes are always the last resort. We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use public transport, too – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Tory government.

“Many of our members – who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic – have not had a pay rise since 2019.

“With inflation running at north of 10% that means those drivers have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years. We want an increase in line with the cost of living – we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021.

“It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row. Especially as the train companies are doing very nicely, thank you, out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and train drivers don’t want to work longer for less.”

Further action by the RMT and TSSA unions is expected on 18 and 20 August, as well as separate RMT on the London Underground on 19 August.

Photo credit: Rail Delivery Group

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