Rail passengers across the UK are being urged to check before traveling as most services are suspended on six major lines as train drivers enter their second day of strike action.
Industrial action by drivers’ union Aslef will see staff working for Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, Heathrow Express, LNER, Northern and Transpennine Express (TPE) go on strike for 24 hours on Saturday.
Chiltern, Northern and TPE services will be abolished, and Great Western, LNER and Heathrow Express services will be significantly reduced. The six companies also warned that Saturday’s industrial action could affect their services on Sunday.
LNER, which operates trains on the East Coast Main Line, said it would run 35 trains between London, Edinburgh and West Yorkshire on Saturday, about 25% of its normal schedule.
Great Western Airlines, which operates flights from London Paddington to south-west England and south Wales, has shortened its opening hours to 7am to 7pm on some routes, offering a “very limited service”. announced that it would provide. Heathrow Express will also run reduced frequency to every 30 minutes instead of the usual 15 minutes.
Train drivers in Scotland and Wales are not on strike, but LNER and Great Western cross-border rail services are expected to be disrupted.
The strike coincides with Aslef’s overtime ban on all businesses, starting Thursday and continuing through Saturday, with additional bans planned for Monday and Tuesday. This ban is expected to increase the likelihood of short notice cancellations and disruptions.
The strike follows action on Friday by drivers working for Avanti West Coast, Cross Country, East Midlands, London North Western and West Midlands Railways.
Monday is the final day of the rolling strike, with the Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern/Gatwick Express, South Eastern, South Western and SWR Island lines all affected.
Ahead of the action, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “Those of us who have carried out our duties during the pandemic, along with many other key workers, always wanted what we wanted, but not for two years of wage increases.”
“Then we looked for a simple pay rise, only to discover that the people we were working with had some pretty shady agreements with the government to limit our pay rises.
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“We don’t want to be here. We don’t want to stand on the picket line and lose money. We want better, safer, cleaner railroads.”
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents rail operators, said: “We regret that this strike called by the Aslef leadership risks disrupting travel.
“We are doing everything we can to keep our trains running and will work with our industry partners to keep as many trains running as possible, but unfortunately from Thursday 4th April to Tuesday 9th April Our advice is to check before you travel and follow the latest travel information.”
