UK train passengers hit by fresh wave of disruption as drivers strike

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Rail passengers in the UK face a wave of disruption after train drivers launched a new round of strikes in a long-running dispute over pay.

Members of the Aslef union began a series of three one-day walkouts on Friday morning, in a bid to put pressure on 16 train companies and the government for a significant rise in wages.

The stoppages on Friday, Saturday and Monday will hit different train operating companies on different days, with passengers warned to check before they travel and no services expected on many lines. 

Drivers will walk out on Friday, Saturday or Monday, depending on which operator they work for:

• Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains and CrossCountry on Friday 

• Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern and TransPennine Trains on Saturday

• c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway and SWR Island Line on Monday 

The union has also announced that drivers will not work overtime between Thursday April 4 and Saturday April 6, and on Monday April 8 and Tuesday April 9.

Aslef has held 14 one-day strikes across the national rail network, and three sets of rolling operator-by-operator strikes since the dispute with the government and train operating companies began in the summer of 2022. 

Train companies negotiate with the union, but the industry’s finances are controlled by the Department for Transport (DfT). 

The union is demanding pay rises to help its members cope with the impact of recent high inflation, and in April 2023 its leadership rejected an offer of an 8 per cent rise over two years, tied to significant reforms of working practices.

Speaking at a picket line at London Euston station on Friday Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said he had not held talks with employers since the offer was declined a year ago.

He said he remained “an eternal optimist” about striking a deal, but that a new proposal without major changes to employment terms and conditions was needed.

“I’ve been in this for a long haul. So we aren’t going away,” said Whelan, adding that he was hopeful Labour would be “more receptive” to resolving the dispute if it won the general election expected this year.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, said: “We are sorry that this round of strikes called by the Aslef leadership risks disrupting journeys . . . we will work with our industry partners to keep as many trains running as possible”. 

The DfT said Aslef should put the April 2023 offer to members, adding that it was “the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer that remains on the table”.

Aslef on Thursday called off planned strikes on the London Underground that were due to begin next week, saying the “key issues” in a dispute over working practices had been resolved after talks with Transport for London.