UK rail passengers face disruption as drivers go on strike

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UK rail passengers face major disruption on Wednesday when a drivers’ strike is expected to close almost all of the train network.

Drivers at 16 train operating companies will walk out in the latest round of strike action by the Aslef union in a long-running despite over pay and working conditions.

Passengers have been warned to expect “severe disruption”, with no services at all on some operators — including Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express and Southeastern — and an extremely limited timetable elsewhere.

More limited service interruptions will continue all week, as many operators introduce reduced timetables or short-notice cancellations to cope with a union ban on drivers working overtime, which runs until Friday.

But passengers in London have been spared walkouts on London Underground this week, after the RMT union cancelled two days of strikes that it had called as part of a separate dispute with management.

The RMT had been planning stoppages on Wednesday and Friday but suspended the action on Tuesday following “significant progress” in talks with London Underground executives. The union said the negotiations had “saved” jobs and prevented some proposed changes to working practices.

There has been no such progress in the dispute between Aslef, train companies and the government, which has continued for more than a year. Aslef said its latest round of industrial action was aimed at disrupting the Conservative party’s annual conference in Manchester, which ends on Wednesday.

The union in April rejected an offer of an 8 per cent pay rise over two years, which was tied to major industry reforms including changes to drive cost savings, such as more flexible shift rostering.

Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said there had been no meetings or negotiations with government or train companies since. “We have had zero contact with anybody,” he said.

Whelan warned that his members were willing to continue striking for as long as it takes, and that their resolve was “getting stronger and harder”.

The government, which controls the industry’s finances, and rail operators have long argued that higher pay rises are unaffordable and that major reforms are needed to save money.

The railway’s finances are under severe pressure following a decline in commuting, and the industry is losing about £10mn per day, according to the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies.

The RDG said its offer to Aslef was “still on the table” and that “the union’s leadership must recognise the need to make changes to how the sector is run”.

The RMT is also locked in a separate dispute with train operators over pay and budget cuts, but has no new strikes planned.