We’re sticking with the rails this week, as we’ve got another railway strike inbound, affecting 11 of the rail operators in the United Kingdom.
Good luck getting a train out of Euston Station for a start – Image, Economy Class and Beyond.
This week’s rail strike will affect passengers travelling with the following companies (whose members are part of the ASLEF union).
- Avanti West Coast
- CrossCountry
- Greater Anglia
- Great Western Railway
- Heathrow Express
- Hull Trains
- LNER
- London Northwestern Railway
- London Overground
- Southeastern
- Stansted Express (Greater Anglia)
- West Midlands Railway
In general, services are cancelled throughout. Standout operators who are running something during the 13th include:
- Great Western Railway is planning to operate a very limited service, with three routes only
- Hull Trains will operate one train during the 13th
- LNER plan to operate one train to Leeds for the day and a 2-hourly service to Edinburgh
Again, the advice is not to travel. If you plan on travelling, expect crush capacities and the possibility of being denied travel on these very limited services.
National Rail Enquiries notes that some routes will be extremely busy during this time, including:
- Between London St Pancras International and Derby / Sheffield
- Between London Waterloo and Reading / Exeter St Davids
Service on the 14th of August (especially in the morning) are expected to be heavily impacted, with trains and crews not in the correct position. Allow extra time for your journey.
Are services to airports in the London area services impacted?
There will be a big impact at Heathrow. Luton will also be hit indirectly too.
- Heathrow Airport – There will be no Heathrow Express. You will need to use The Elizabeth Line, London Underground or National Express to reach Central London.
- Stanstead Airport – With no trains running (either by CrossCountry or Stansted Express), you will need to rely on the coach operators to get you between Stansted and London/Cambridge and beyond.
- Luton Airport – With the capacity issues due to passengers, expect trains to be busy at Luton. You might find it quicker to jump onto a Thameslink service instead, rather than wait for a pack East Midlands Railway train.
Are there more strikes to come?
Sadly, the RMT union is calling its workers out on strike on the 18th and 20th of August affecting the network nationally, whilst on the 19th of August, the staff working London Underground and London Overground services will be impacted with staff due to walkout.
The strike timetables for 18 and 19 August are expected to be updated in journey planners from 13 August, and the 20 August timetable is expected to be available from 16 August.
The summer of discontent continues for everyone sadly – with the travelling public losing out.
Where can I find out more?
National Rail Enquiries has all the detail you need, as well as the individual operators who have details on refunds.
Good luck if you plan to travel by train this weekend…
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