Passengers warned to expect disruption on 5 October due to strike

There will be disruption to some parts of the rail network on Wednesday 5 October and into the morning of Thursday 6 October due to a 24-hour walkout of train drivers over pay.

Train operators impacted include: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Crosscountry, East Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Transpennine Express and West Midlands Trains. 

Passengers are also advised that there is likely to be some disruption in the early morning of Thursday 6 October as workers return to duties. The revised timetable is available for passengers through the National Rail website and journey planners.

Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “These strikes disrupt the travel plans of millions of passengers and undermine businesses who continue to struggle with rising costs and this continued action will only further damage the railway’s recovery.

“While some rail companies are not involved in the strike, services are likely to be busy, severely disrupted or in some cases not running, so passengers should check the latest travel advice before setting off. Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strikes on 5 October can use their ticket on the day before the booked date, or up to and including 7 October. Passengers can also change their tickets to travel on an alternate date or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.”

Commenting when the strike was announced last month, Mick Whelan, General Secretary at ASLEF, said: “We would much rather not be in this position. We don’t want to go on strike – withdrawing our labour, although a fundamental human right, is always a last resort for this trade union – but the train companies have been determined to force our hand.” 

The RMT is staging a further walkout on Saturday 8 October affecting Network Rail staff and 14 train operators. There is also a walkout by members of the TSSA affecting CrossCountry trains on 5 October, GWR on 6/7 October and Avanti and c2c on Saturday 8 October.

For customers booked to travel on 5 October, the same flexibility applies on the day before the strike and they can use their tickets up to and including 7 October.

Passengers with a season ticket or who have an activated days’ worth of travel on a flexi season ticket who choose not to travel on 5 October, can claim compensation for these days through the delay repay scheme. Weekly Season Ticket holders can also claim through Delay Repay if their train is delayed or cancelled on the day, or a ‘Do Not Travel’ warning is in place.

People who need to travel on strike days and already have a ticket should check with their train operator before they travel for advice on the flexibility of their ticket.

Passengers can also check on National Rail Enquiries or their rail operator’s website to see if their operator is affected by this industrial action.

Photo credit: Rail Delivery Group

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