Are trains running this weekend? How the rail strike affects travel on Saturday for the companies involved
Train travel will be disrupted again this weekend due to a fresh round of strike action called by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.
It is a latest in a long string of strikes that stretch back more than a year, as unions battle with train companies in disputes over pay, jobs and working conditions.
Here’s how the walkout will affect train travel this weekend, as well as everything you need to know about action planned for September.
Are trains running this weekend?
There is RMT strike action on Saturday 26 August involving 20,000 workers that will significantly affect train travel across the country. They will strike again on Saturday 2 September.
It is likely to be on a similar scale to previous strikes by the union, which have shut down the majority of rail services.
Some operators will be unable to run any trains, while others will offer a significantly reduced service.
Use the links below to find full information from each operator:
Train drivers represented by Aslef also have action planned in September. There will be a full strike on Friday 1 September, while the union will also ban overtime on Saturday 2 September.
The following operators are affected by the Aslef action:
- Avanti West Coast
- c2c
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Greater Anglia
- GTR Great Northern Thameslink
- Great Western Railway
- Island Line
- LNER
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- Southern/Gatwick Express
- South Western Railway
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
Both unions could call additional strikes later in September, as the disputes remain unresolved.
Why are train strikes still going on?
Train services in the UK have now been disrupted by strikes for over a year, and the union disputes show little sign of coming to an end.
The RMT said it had been left with “little choice” but to take further action as it had seen no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
Mick Lynch, the union’s general secretary, said: “The mood among our members remains solid and determined in our national dispute over pay, job security and working conditions.”
He added that no improved offer had been made by the RDG because “the Government has not allowed them a fresh mandate on which discussions could be held,” and that “our union will continue fighting” until a settlement is reached.
A RDG spokesperson said: “We have now made three offers, the latest of which would have given staff pay rises of up to 13 per cent as well as job security guarantees, and the RMT executive have blocked this without a convincing explanation.
“We remain open to talks and we have said repeatedly that we want to give our people a pay rise, but until the union leadership and executive is united in what it wants and engages in good faith with the 30 per cent shortfall in revenue the industry is continuing to grapple with post-Covid, it is difficult to move forward.”
Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said the union was taking action because “the train companies, and the Government which stands behind them, have forced us into this place because they refuse to sit down and talk to us”.
He added that train drivers have not had a “fair and sensible pay offer” despite not having had a rise since 2019.
Mr Whelan said: “The Government appears happy to let passengers – and businesses – suffer in the mistaken belief that they can bully us into submission. They don’t care about passengers, or Britain’s railway, but they will not break us.”
A RDG spokesperson said: “Further strike action by the Aslef leadership is unnecessary and will cause more disruption to passengers looking to enjoy various sporting events and the end of the summer holidays.
“The union leadership has its head in the sand and refuses to put our fair and reasonable offer to their members.”
