Britain’s rail network was heavily disrupted on Wednesday as train drivers represented by Aslef launched their latest strike in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. They will stage a second day of action on Saturday.
But first, 20,000 catering, station staff and train managers represented by the RMT will walk out on Friday in a separate dispute, affecting train services throughout the country.
National Rail has said passengers are “warned to expect significant disruption as it is likely to result in little or no services across large areas of the network” on strike days, adding that “services are also likely to be disrupted and start later on the day immediately following a strike day”.
While workers on London’s Elizabeth Line are not directly involved in either of these disputes, it will still experience some disruption today.
Is the Elizabeth Line running today?
The Elizabeth Line will largely run as normal today, as will other Transport for London services including the London Underground and London Overground.
However, there will be a few alterations as a result of the national rail action:
- No service between Maidenhead and Reading before 7am and after 7pm
- No service between Brentwood and Shenfield after 11.30pm
Additionally, before 7am and after 7pm on Friday, and until 7am on Saturday, no Elizabeth Line trains will serve the national rail platforms at Paddington.
These trains will start and terminate at Ealing Broadway. There will be no change to trains which serve the Elizabeth Line platforms.
Could there be more Elizabeth Line strikes?
The TSSA union cancelled a planned strike on 24 May after receiving a new pay proposal.
TSSA members on the Elizabeth Line work in roles such as traffic manager and incident response manager, but these workers are paid less than those in similar positions on other TfL services, so the union has been seeking an improved pay packet.
The union’s interim organising director, Mel Taylor, said, as she called off the strike: “We have had a very constructive meeting and as a result, TSSA has agreed to suspend the strike action planned on Wednesday 24 May.
“This will enable our teams to fully digest the changes and allow for further consultation and discussion over the coming days. We certainly do not take strike action lightly, but we have made this progress as a result of the action we have taken and planned to take.
“Elizabeth Line staff work weekends, nights and even Christmas Day. They are multi-skilled and operate the world’s only fully digital railway, but many earn significantly less than the salary paid to other TfL staff in similar roles. That is clearly not an acceptable or sustainable position and it looks as though the company is waking up to the fact.”
No deal has yet been reached, however, and strike action could resume if no package is agreed.
How will trains be affected by the national rail strikes?
Here’s what each operator is saying about the remaining strike action this week:
Avanti West Coast
Significantly reduced service on 2 June. No service on 3 June.
c2c (2 June only)
Twelve-carriage trains will not stop at Limehouse.
Chiltern Railways
Very limited service on 2 June operating between approximately 8am and 10pm, as follows:
- One train per hour between Marylebone and stations to Banbury
- One train per hour between Marylebone and stations to Oxford
- One train per hour between Marylebone and stations to Aylesbury
- One train per hour between Amersham and stations to Aylesbury Vale Parkway
No service between Banbury and stations to Birmingham and Stourbridge Junction, and between Hatton and stations to Stratford Upon Avon.
No service on 3 June.
CrossCountry
Significantly reduced service on 2 June. No service on 3 June.
East Midlands Railway
Significantly reduced service on 2 June operating between 7.30am and 6.30pm, as follows:
- One train per hour between Nottingham and London St Pancras
- One train per hour between Derby and London St Pancras
- One train per hour between Corby and London St Pancras
- One train per hour between Derby and Nottingham
- One train per hour between Sheffield and Nottingham
- One train per hour between Leicester and Lincoln (stopping service)
- One train per hour between Mansfield Woodhouse and Nottingham
- Two-hourly service between Nottingham and Skegness (only calling at Grantham, Sleaford, Boston and Skegness)
No service on 3 June.
Gatwick Express
On 2 June most routes via Gatwick airport will finish in the early afternoon. No service on 3 June.
Great Northern
On 2 June services will be limited across the network, with a later start, an early shutdown and no service in some locations. No service on 3 June.
Great Western Railway
On 2 June a very limited service will run between 7.30am and 6.30pm, only on the following routes between:
- London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads
- London Paddington and Didcot
- London Paddington and Cardiff
- London Paddington and Plymouth (calling Pewsey, Westbury, Castle Cary)
- Gloucester and Swindon
- London Paddington and Bedwyn
- Greenford and West Ealing
- Slough and Windsor
- Maidenhead and Bourne End
- Twyford and Slough
- Reading and Basingstoke
- Oxford and Banbury
- Reading and Redhill
- Oxford and Didcot (replacement bus service)
- Cardiff and Westbury
- Bristol Temple Meads and Plymouth
On 3 June a very limited service will run between 7.30am and 6.30pm, only on the following routes between:
- London Paddington and Bristol
- Reading and Didcot (with replacement bus services operating between Didcot and Oxford)
- Reading and Basingstoke
- Reading and Redhill (peak time only)
- Reading and Newbury (peak time only)
- Westbury and Swindon (peak time only)
- Cardiff and Bristol (two-hourly)
- Exeter and Barnstaple
- Plymouth and Gunnislake
- Penzance and St Ives
Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express)
On 2 June trains will run from 7am, with all last trains reaching their destination by 11pm. Some routes will have a reduced frequency, but most routes will have a normal or near normal service during the hours that trains are running.
On 3 June most routes (including all regional lines and trains between Cambridge and London Liverpool Street) will have no service at all. Where services do run they are expected to start from 7am onwards, with all last trains operating until mid to late evening, and finishing earlier than normal.
Heathrow Express
No service on 3 June.
LNER
Reduced service on all strike dates. Find information on first and last train times here.
London Northwestern Railway
Limited service will operate on 2 June the following lines between 7am and 7pm, as follows:
- One train per hour between Birmingham and London Euston
- One train per hour between Northampton and London Euston
- One train per hour between Milton Keynes Central and London Euston
- One train per hour between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street
No service on 3 June.
Northern
Limited service on 2 June – find full information here.
No service on 3 June.
South Western Railway
A significantly reduced service will operate on a limited number of lines on 2 June, with much of the network closed. Find full timetables here.
On 3 June there will be a reduced service between London Waterloo and Chessington South; Dorking; Hampton Court; London Waterloo via Hounslow; London Waterloo via Kingston; Reading; Shepperton; Twickenham; Weybridge; and Windsor and Eton Riverside. A shuttle service will operate between Basingstoke and Exeter St Davids. There will be no service on the Island Line.
Southeastern
Limited service on 2 June – find full information here. No service on 3 June.
Southern
On 2 June services will be limited across the network, with a later start, an early shut down and no service in some locations. No service on 3 June.
Thameslink
On 2 June services will be limited across the network, with a later start, an early shut down and no service in some locations. No service on 3 June.
TransPennine Express
On 2 June TransPennine Express is planning to operate services on the following routes:
- Manchester Piccadilly to York – five local services, four semi-fast services towards York; six local services, three semi-fast services towards Manchester Piccadilly
- Preston to Manchester Airport – five services in both directions
- Sheffield to Cleethorpes – five services in both directions
No service on 3 June.
West Midlands Railway
Very limited service on 2 June operating between 7am and 7pm on the following routes:
- One train per hour between Birmingham and London Euston
- One train per hour between Northampton and London Euston
- One train per hour between Milton Keynes Central and London Euston.
- One train per hour between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street
- One train per hour between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton via local stations
- One train per hour between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International via local stations
- One train per hour between Birmingham New Street and Rugeley Trent Valley
- One train per hour between Lichfield Trent Valley and Birmingham New Street
- Up to six trains per hour between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town
- Lichfield Trent Valley – Birmingham New Street – Redditch/Bromsgrove: one train per hour to/from Bromsgrove and one train per hour to/from Redditch
- Kidderminster – Birmingham Snow Hill – Whitlocks End/Dorridge: one train per hour to/from Whitlocks End and one train per hour to/from Dorridge
No service on 3 June.
