A 24-hour walkout by drivers at seven train companies will cause disruption to passengers on Saturday 30 July, coinciding with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the start of the English football league
Timetables have been published, but passengers are advised to follow the latest travel advice, check before they travel and allow extra time for their journey. Other train companies not involved in the strike will be running trains, but these are expected to be busy
Passengers travelling should expect disruption, and are advised to check the latest travel information before starting their journey
The Rail Delivery Group is reminding passengers that some services will be severely disrupted on Saturday 30 July as a result of a strike by the leadership of train drivers’ union Aslef, industrial action that has been timed to coincide with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the start of the new season for most English football league clubs.
There will be disruption to some parts of the rail network on Saturday 30 July and into the morning of Sunday 31st due to a twenty-four hour walkout of train drivers from: Arriva Rail London, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.
Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strike on 30 July can use their ticket either on the day before the date on the ticket, or up to and including Tuesday 2 August. Passengers can also change their tickets to travel on an alternate date, or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.
Passengers with a season ticket that is monthly or longer, or have an activated days’ worth of travel on a flexi season ticket who choose not to travel on 30 July, can claim compensation for these days through the delay repay scheme. If you need to travel on the 30th and already have a ticket, please check with the train company you booked to travel with on their website or app well before your journey for advice on what to do with your ticket.
If your local operator is impacted by industrial action, you should check journey planners on National Rail Enquiries or operator websites to find alternative route options. Further information is on the National Rail website.
Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We’re really disappointed that the Aslef leadership has decided to impose yet more uncertainty and disruption for passengers and businesses in a week which has already seen a strike by the RMT.
“Millions of passengers will have their weekend plans disrupted – particularly those who are working, or going to the Commonwealth Games or the first football match of the season. While we will do all that we can to minimise disruption, if you are going to travel on the routes affected, please plan ahead and check the latest travel advice.
“If you’re not able to travel, you can use your ticket either the day before or up to and including 2 August, otherwise you will be able to change your ticket or claim a refund.
“Like any service or business, we must move with the times and cannot continue to ask taxpayers or passengers for more money when we should instead respond to the huge changes in travel behaviour post covid. By making these necessary reforms such ending the reliance on volunteer working at weekend, we improve punctuality, have more resilient Sunday services and use those savings to give our people a pay rise which has always been what we want to do.
“Further strikes will see our people out of pocket and mean less money to fund a pay rise, so we urge the Aslef leadership to resume talks so we can reach a deal that is fair to staff and taxpayers, and which secures a bright, long-term future of our railway.”
