National Rail strikes: What's next for Britain's transport?
RMT Union members striking outside Network Rail property near Cambridge Station on 21 June 2022, SoThisIsPeter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed
The series of 2022-2023 rail strikes conducted by ASLEF is one of the recent largest incidents of industrial action in the UK.
After failing to reach an agreement with the government over pay disputes, The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) will be taking to the picket lines with more rail strikes in the coming weeks.
The Union strikes that started over 18 months ago will follow in the latest wave of timetable shredding, much to the disappointment of British passengers.
Union members will be walking out on a range of days between the 2nd and 8th of December, which will disrupt train users across the country.
In addition, the UK’s rail network will see extra cancellations courtesy of a nine-day overtime ban from the 1st to the 9th - reducing service, but not to the degree of general strikes.
In London and the South East, rail users can expect to see the following disruptions:
Saturday 2nd December:
LNER
Sunday 3rd December:
London Northwestern Railway
Thameslink
Wednesday 6th December:
Gatwick Express
South Western Railway
Southeastern
Southern
Thursday 7th December:
Heathrow Express
For the vast majority of these services, there is expected to be no service on planned days of industrial action.
On the other hand, LNER users can expect regular trains on core routes linking King’s Cross to Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. It is also thought that Southern Rail will maintain its shuttle service to Gatwick Airport from 6:00 am to 11:30 am, and South Western will maintain core services to Waterloo.
London Overground and the Elizabeth Line riders can also expect regular service during the week of industrial action.
The strikes mark a further rejection of the offer made in April to ASLEF, which transport secretary Mark Harper deemed would take train driver salaries from £60,000 to £65,000 for a four-day working week.
Elsewhere, Londoners will look towards the renovation of the Amsterdam branch of the Eurostar network, suspending direct services from Amsterdam to the British capital from June until 2025. Transport links to London will resume thereafter, but the suspension signals another slowdown in London’s rail network for 2024.