Rail passengers have been warned to expect a weekend of travel chaos ahead of a major strike and planned engineering works.
Staff from Avanti West Coast belonging to the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will begin a series of walkouts this Sunday in a dispute over rest day working. Avanti, who operate services connecting major cities including London, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, have urged its customers to travel either side of January 12.
The walkout marks the start of strike action every Sunday until May 25. A reduced train timetable will be in place on the strike days, with fewer services running during limited operating hours.
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Passengers are facing travel chaos over the weekend
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Image:
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Changes to train timetables announced
On Sunday, Avanti West Coast will run one train an hour between London Euston and each of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Preston. A limited service will operate between Glasgow and Carlisle. Trains which will run are expected to be busy.
In addition, rail replacement buses will run between Carlisle and Preston due to planned engineering work. These trains will operate during limited hours, with the first train of the day departing Euston after 8am and the last train of the day from Euston departing before 5pm. The significantly reduced timetable will mean North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh, Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield will have no Avanti West Coast services.
Lancaster and destinations in the Lake District, including Oxenholme and Penrith, will not be served by Avanti West Coast on January 12 due to planned engineering work. Avanti said customers who do travel should plan ahead, expect disruption, and check the details of their last train home. Planned engineering works are also taking place on most Sundays between now and May, meaning timetables for each strike date may vary and take longer to be finalised.
What have Avanti and RMT said?
Kathryn O’Brien, executive director of customer experience at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re disappointed by the RMT calling strike action for an extended period when our customers may be working, visiting family and friends, or enjoying days out. As a result, they will face significantly disrupted journeys during this time. I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.
“On the strike days we’ll have a reduced service, so customers with tickets for those days are strongly advised to travel on alternative dates or claim a full fee-free refund. We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.” The Mirror have approached RMT for comment.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch announced his retirement today after nearly three years at the head of the union. He had worked his way up the organisation after joining while working for Eurostar in 1993 and rose to become one of its most recognisable figures, even before taking the top job in 2021.
In a statement, 63-year-old Mr Lynch described it as a “privilege” to have served his members and said: “We can all be proud that our union stood up against the wholesale attacks on the rail industry by the previous Tory government and the union defeated them. RMT will always need a new generation of workers to take up the fight for its members and for a fairer society for all and I am immensely proud to have been part of that struggle”.