Train drivers strikes, again, as this dispute drags into its 3rd calendar year
against all usual 16 train operators
Revolving among them like the last RMT strike, region by region
From Tuesday 30 January
To Monday 5 February
An overtime ban from Monday 29 Jan until Tuesday 6 Feb
Only the ASLEF members are striking this time around, the RMT union has struck a deal.
More details to follow
Details - from the BBC:
Which train companies are affected on which day?
Monday 5 February: Great Western, CrossCountry, Chiltern
Operators not involved in industrial action, for example ScotRail and Transport for Wales, should run normal services.
Previously, most of the train companies involved have not been able to run any trains when drivers are on strike. A few have run a limited timetable using managers to drive trains.
There will be no strike action on Thursday 1 February or Sunday 4 February.
Although there is no strike called at a company on Sunday 4 Feb the overtime ban alone will cut deeply into available drivers at some companies making the effect unpredictable.
See this thread for what happened last time- https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/new-train-strikes-december
The same kind of service levels can be expected this time.
Broadly, of the affected companies, only LNER, Great Western and South Western can be expected to run reduced services on their strike days (starting late and ending early evening) and then only on their core networks.
Also Stansted Express and a modified express route Gatwick to London Victoria will run (but no other London station).
Scotrail, Caledonian Sleeper, Transport for Wales, Merseyrail, Heathrow Express, all transport in London, Lumo, Hull Trains and Grand Central are not affected.
But the Great Western Riviera Sleeper (to Penzance) will not run.
Train Companies are now gradually confirming their plans for their respective strike days-
the LNER, Anglia (including Stansted Express) and South Western Railway timetables are now confirmed and tickets on sale,
c2c, LNWR, Chiltern, Northern Rail and Transpennine confirm no service at all will be provided.
Southern will only run a Gatwick Shuttle, Thameslink will only run a St Pancras to Luton airport and a Kings Cross to Cambridge Shuttle. No Great Northern service will run.
Great Western are still to confirm.
EDIT- Avanti have now confirmed that no trains will run on their strike day- 3 February.
Important note that Great Western on Sunday 4 February (a non strike day) will run no long distance services between London Paddington and Bristol, South Wales and Exeter/Plymouth/Penzance, due to the overtime ban. See their web site for the lines that will run LIMITED services- https://www.gwr.com/strike
LNWR also expect major disruption that day and Chiltern will run NO service that day.
Nigel, isn31c
We will be in England in May. I was planning that we would take some trains but am wondering if that is foolhardy with all the strikes. Would we be better off in a bus? Or is it easy to pivot if a strike is called?
Beth
@BethFL- you have to assume that the trains will be running, as they are on the vast majority of days.
But it is usually very easy to pivot. National Express have a much wider route network than many people realise, and there are also Megabus and Flixbus.
NatEx always at least double their fares on strike days (faster after a strike announcement than you can possibly book), whereas Flixbus and Megabus are strictly demand driven prices- so their increases are far more gradual.
This new tactic of company strikes on different days (rather than a national strike) is also quite useful- in that for many journeys there are different routes you can take, including routes with train companies who are not involved in the strikes.
Thanks for the reassurance. I recall there was a strike on one line when I visited in 2019. We had intended to take the train to Kew Garden but could not. We took the tube instead. But had not bought tickets in advance.
