Rail passengers will need to brace for widespread disruption this weekend as train drivers begin strike action today.
Members of the union Aslef at nine train companies are walking out for 24 hours, crippling large parts of the network – with some areas of the country having no services.
Football fans, tourists and holidaymakers will be among tens of thousands of passengers affected.
The disruption is expected to spill over into Sunday morning – so passengers are being urged to check with their operator and consider starting their journey later in the day.
Events including Coldplay’s second night at Wembley Stadium and Premier League games in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Brighton will be affected by the disruption, with thousands travelling fans having had to make other arrangements.
While companies not involved in the strike will continue running trains, these are expected to be busier than normal.
The industrial action will also affect services running on the morning of Sunday 14 August, with those planning to travel, told to consider starting their journey later in the day.
It comes ahead of more industrial action planned in the coming weeks amid worsening disputes over jobs, pay and conditions.
Aslef will mount picket lines outside railway stations, with officials saying they expect continuing support from the public despite the impact of the action.
The strikes will hit Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.
Affected services this weekend:
- Avanti West Coast: All services have been cancelled.
- Chiltern Railways: “Strongly” advising customers to avoid travelling unless they have to, given a knock-on effect from other operators. Busy trains, short-notice cancellations and delays likely. A reduced service of one train per hour is running on the Aylesbury Vale Parkway – Marylebone route between noon and 8pm.
- CrossCountry: Running no services on Saturday.
- Gatwick Express: Although its drivers are not striking, services are likely to be “impacted” given industrial action on London Overground and Southeastern.
- Great Western Railway: A limited service will operate between Bristol Temple Meads – London, Paddington; Reading – Oxford; Reading – Basingstoke. Timetables will start later and finish earlier than normal.
- Greater Anglia: Has customers to avoid travelling with their “heavily reduced and disrupted” service. One train per hour will run in each direction between London – Norwich; London – Colchester; Southend Victoria – Liverpool Street; Liverpool Street – Stansted Airport.
- Heathrow Express: All services have been cancelled.
- Hull Trains: A “significantly reduced” timetable is running, consisting of one service to and from King’s Cross.
- London North Eastern Railway: No trains are running north from Edinburgh Waverley, while southbound trains are restricted to one every two hours. No trains are running north from Leeds, while just one train is running south to London King’s Cross. One northbound train per hour is running from King’s Cross, while one northbound and one southbound train is running every two hours from Newcastle.
- London Northwestern Railway: No services are running.
- Northern: Although services are running as normal, strikes affecting other operators could make trains busier than normal.
- Southeastern: All services have been cancelled.
- Southern: Its drivers are not involved in Aslef’s strike, but services may be “impacted” given disruption on London Overground and Southeastern.
- Stansted Express: Has advised customers to avoid travelling on Saturday. One train each way is running between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street every hour. Engineering work means there will be a bus during the journey between Waltham Cross and Harlow Town.
- Transport for Wales: Although not directly affected by strikes, services are likely to be hit by the reduced timetable of other operators. Customers have been advised to avoid non-essential travel between Carmarthen – Newport; Cardiff – Lydney; Shrewsbury – Wolverhampton; and North Wales Coast, since trains are expected to be busy.
- West Midlands Railway: No services are running on Saturday.
