NEW Tube Strike on the day between the August train strikes

What's the connection, Nigel, between all these union actions and the tumult within the Conservatives and the gov't more generally? Are they trying to influence the choices for new leadership?

It’s nothing to do with the Tory leadership election. The unions have no sway with the Tory party membership who are the people electing the PM.

Inflation is in double digits and their pay offer is significantly less, which means a pay cut in real terms, hence the strikes.

Hi Nigel -

Most unhappy news.

Sorry to put you on the spot but do you happen to know if the Overground strike on August 19 will mean that the Heathrow Express is impacted? I know that it ran a reduced service during the weekday strike days (but not on the Saturday strikes). Is this likely to be the case again on August 19? I figured that if anybody would know, you would. Or be able to hazard the best guess. Thanks in advance!

Ian

Nigel, do any of these rail strikes affect Eurostar London to Paris, or vice versa? I saw a snippet on Google saying Eurostar is not affected, but cannot find confirmation on Eurostar’s website. Thanks for all you do.

Okay, so I’m trying to be a smart tourist, but I’m becoming befuddled! I arrive at Heathrow on Saturday the 20th, and was planning to take the tube to King’s Cross. Then after a one night stay in London, the plan was to train to Canterbury on the 21st. I have not bought the train ticket yet. Should I just plan on alternate transportation from the airport and then the bus to Canterbury? If not the tube from the airport, how best to get the King’s Cross area (already have hotel booked)?. I can normally adjust on the fly, but not when jet-lagged. Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated!

Debn, I’m thinking you should be OK because the London Tube strike is August 19 and August 20 is one day of the train strikes. The tube will be running when you arrive on the 20 and trains will be running on August 21.

Services are impacted the afternoon/evening before strike days as the staff have to curtail services early in order to get home and therefore the day after the strike, trains will often be starting from the wrong place, so whilst they will be running, there maybe delays, so be prepared!

Nigel, thank you so much for these updates! Much appreciated.
(& lovely to meet you in person last week!)

~ Laura

Thank you for the info. The befuddlement is abating!

I don't know about Eurostar. Logically it should escape but with Network Rail going out I don't know. Best to check their website closer to the time.

Regarding Heathrow Express I have heard that they will be affected in the rail strikes but not in the Underground/Overground strike. Best to check their website closer to the time.

If Heathrow Express is affected it is likely that Elizabeth Line won't be because although it looks like a tube line it isn't - it is a railway company not listed. But - if Network Rail shut the line then it will be.

Quoting the Telegraph:

"The RMT rail strikes in August will affect Network Rail, as well as the following operators: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).

The TSSA is also currently balloting members at West Midlands Trains, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, TransPennine Express for industrial action.

Southeastern, which is wholly owned by the Department for Transport (DfT) and runs train services between London and Kent, as well as parts of East Sussex, will be also hit by the TSSA strikes. Stations potentially hit include London St Pancras, Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, as well as Dover Priory, Ramsgate, Ashford International, Dartford and Sevenoaks."

From the Eurostar website:

If you’re travelling on or around 18 and 20 August, we’re aware of planned strike action on these dates. Although the full impact is not yet known, we expect to run most of our trains. Passengers travelling on these dates will be contacted as soon as more information becomes available if their journey is affected.

Heathrow Express are silent on the August strikes. Based on the July ones it is likely that the RMT strikes will result in a skeleton service, and the ASLEF strike will result in a complete shutdown...

Here is what their website currently reads like:-

Due to the planned rail strike, Heathrow Express services will be
significantly impacted on Wednesday 27th July, please allow additional
time when travelling on this day. No services will operate on Saturday
30th July.

Wednesday 27th July 2022

Trains will be running every 30 minutes

First train from Paddington to Heathrow will be at 07:40

Last train from Paddington to Heathrow will be at 18:10

First train from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Paddington will be at 07:30

Last train from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Paddington will be at 17:57

Saturday 30th July 2022

No services will operate on Saturday 30th July.

What's the connection, Nigel, between all these union actions and the tumult within the Conservatives and the gov't more generally?

None. The strikes are about pay and conditions and are between the unions and the rail networks, nothing to do with the government.

Hi Nigel -

Thanks for the info. It’s pretty much as how I saw it but obviously I don’t have your insight. My takeaway thus far is that on August 19 I might have options in so far as I have the Elizabeth line as a fall back if the Heathrow Express doesn’t run. Either way, I think I can expect the service to be disrupted and not as frequent as normal. And I have to get to London from the northern wastelands before I can worry about that! You’d think that having postponed this trip twice due to Covid, my timing might have been better! And I also have to avoid getting Covid in the interim!

Thanks again!

Ian

A few posts are teetering on sending this thread down a political path. This is a reminder that this discussion needs to remain about travel or it will be removed.

Webmaster. The posts aren’t getting political, they are just stating facts.

New news on the two rail strike days either side of the tube strike:

"Unite the Union" union has just announced that they will be striking at Network Rail (the folks who provide the rails for the trains to run on and who control the signals allowing trains to run) the same two days as the RMT.

This makes those two days much more perilous.

Nigel, I just can't thank you enough for your diligence in reporting these issues to us. I am sure that you have saved so many people from having their plans fall apart at the last moment.

Three Cheers for Nigel and his great contributions to this forum!!!

In addition to the Unite the Union joining the RMT for these strikes it has also been announced that TSSA has confirmed that they will also be walking out at the same time.

Does anyone with a crystal ball want to speculate how long this will go on? We are arriving 9/26 and taking Heathrow Express to Paddington and train from Paddington to Bath and train from Oxford to London 9/30.

no crystal ball.

But there are a lot of unhappy people striking - over 40,000 RMT, 5,000 ASLEF and many more TSSA and Unite the Union members.

This is across the tube and the trains - and now another many thousand have just announced they will strike the ports of the east coast (not as far as Dover).

Maybe when we eventually get a new Prime Minister things may get settled (non-political but realistic)

I saw on the local news this week that there will be a bus strike on Friday too…affecting routes operated by RATP.