When is the next train strike? February 2023 dates

Aslef members on the picket line earlier in January 2023 (Picture: Tejas Sandhu/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The row disrupting the railways continues – with strike now on the cards in February.

Yep, there’s due to be more train chaos over two separate days next month, as British train drivers with the union Aslef plan to hit the picket lines in a protest over pay and ‘terms and conditions’.

While many will support workers’ right to strike, lots of people also rely on the rail for transport, and may therefore be wondering when exactly the strikes are happening.

As there have been myriad train strikes over recent months, you may also be curious about the latest developments in the dispute.

Here’s all you need to know.

When is the next train strike? February 2023 dates

Members of the Aslef union are due to strike Wednesday, February 1 and Friday, February 3, 2023.

The planned walkouts will affect 17 rail companies, including Avanti West Coast, LNER and Southeastern, among others.

Kings Cross train station, pictured empty in October 2022 during a previous rail strike by Aslef and union RMT (Picture: Dinendra Haria/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The announcement follows six one-day strikes, which happened between July 2022 to January 2023.

It also comes after the union rejected a new pay offer made by the Rail Delivery Group.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: ‘Not only is the offer a real-terms pay cut, with inflation running north of 10%, but it came with so many conditions attached that it was clearly unacceptable.

‘They want to rip up our terms and conditions in return for a real-terms pay cut!

More: Strikes

‘Our members at these companies have not had an increase since 2019, despite soaring inflation, and it is time the companies – encouraged, perhaps, by the government – sat down with us and got serious.’

Mr Whelan also said that is the ‘only way’ the dispute could be resolved, and added that ‘we are willing to engage in further discussions within the process that we previously agreed’.

For its part, the Rail Delivery Group called their offer ‘fair and affordable’ and said strike action was ‘disappointing’.

A statement on its website read: ‘It’s disappointing our fair and affordable offer, which would take average driver base salaries from £60,000 to nearly £65,000 by the end of 2023 pay awards, wasn’t put to the Aslef members.

‘With taxpayers still funding up to an extra £175 million a month to make up the shortfall in revenue post-Covid, it provided a significant salary uplift while bringing in long overdue, common-sense reforms that would mean more reliable services for passengers.

‘Rather than announcing further unnecessary strikes, we ask Aslef to recognise the very real financial challenge the industry is facing and work with us to deliver a better railway with a strong long-term future.’

In the past 12 months, Aslef says it has reached pay agreements with 12 train and transport companies, including Eurostar, Hull Trains, Nexus, ScotRail and Transport for Wales.

Currently, there are no further train strike dates pencilled in for January.

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Further rail chaos is on the cards.