Much of the train network across the country will be shut down as members of the train drivers’ union ASLEF strike alongside the RMT (Picture: PA)
Travelling today? Brace yourself. Britain won’t be getting anywhere fast as the next round of train strikes begin.
Thousands of staff across the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers), and Aslef (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) will start planned action today (Wednesday, February 1), with a further strike this Friday.
‘They want to rip up our terms and conditions in return for a real-terms pay cut,’ said Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary with Labour MP’s Dawn Butler and Barry Gardiner (Picture: PA)
‘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.’
So which train lines are affected and will any trains run?
Which train lines are affected by the strikes today?
All of the companies affected by February 2023 train strikes
Chiltern Railways
CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
Gatwick Express
Great Western Railway (GWR)
Greater Anglia
Great Northern
London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
Northern Trains
Southeastern
Southern
South Western Railway (depot drivers only)
SWR Island Line
Thameslink
TransPennine Express
West Midlands Trains.
Avanti West Coast
No trains will be running on Avanti West Coast on Wednesday, February 1 and Friday, February 3, and therefore customers ‘should not attempt to travel’.
They say ‘the days either side of the strikes will also be affected’.
Chiltern Railways
There will be ‘no trains at all’ on Chiltern Railways on Wednesday, February 1 and Friday, February 3.
Expect ‘a small number of minor changes to late night services on Thursday 2nd February but other than that, services are expected to run normally on Thursday with trains starting to run at their normal times’.
CrossCountry
Major disruption is expected across the country (Picture: Tejas Sandhu/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
There will be no CrossCountry services on Wednesday, February 1 or Friday, February 2.
A ‘normal service’ is expected on the days after the strikes.
East Midlands Railway
EMR says it will be ‘unable to operate any trains’ on the strike dates.
It anticipates running a ‘normal service’ on the days either side.
Gatwick Express
You’ll need to find another way to travel to and from Gatwick Airport on strike days (Picture: Getty Images)
No trains on the strike days. Nada.
There will also be disruption on the days after a strike day, with ‘some routes having no services before 7am’.
Great Western Railway
Many parts of the GWR network will have no service at all.
An ‘extremely limited’ service will operate on ‘a limited number of routes’, so check before you travel. These will also start late and finish early.
Greater Anglia
The advice is to ‘avoid travelling as our services will be extremely reduced and disrupted’.
Trains will also start later on the day after a strike.
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Great Northern
No trains on strike days, with a late start the day after – some routes will have no services before 7am.
Great Northern also warns that first services the day after a strike are likely to be ‘extremely crowded and you may not be able to board your chosen service.’
London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
The strike will have a ‘limited impact’ on LNER services. You can check the times of first and last trains, and plan your journey on strike days here.
Northern Rail
Northern will not be operating any trains on strike days.
It adds that ‘a handful of services’ will be impacted on the day after each strike.
SouthEastern
No trains will run on strike days on SouthEastern, with a normal timetable on the days after.
SouthEastern advises customers to use traveline to plan an alternative journey.
Most train services across the country will be severely disrupted, if they run at all (Picture: George Cracknell Wright/LNP)
Southern
If you’re hoping to catch a Southern train this Wednesday or Friday, you’ll be disappointed. There won’t be any on strike days.
Trains will be disrupted on the day after a strike, with a ‘late start-up’. Southern advises customers to start their journey later on the day after strike action.
South Western Railway
SWR plans to run a full service (except on the Isle of Wight where there will be no service on the Island Line).
But it does warn that ‘the strike may cause ‘difficulty getting colleagues and trains to where they need to be, resulting in some short notice delays and cancellations’.
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Thameslink
Don’t even think about it on strike days. There won’t be any Thameslink trains.
The day after the strike is likely to see disruption, with a later start for services and crowding.
TransPennine Express
No services will run on the strike days – Wednesday, February 1 and Friday, February 3.
A limited service will run on the day after each strike, so the advice is to only travel on these post-strike days ‘if journeys are essential’.
The picket line at Paddington Station in London (Picture: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
West Midlands Trains
No services will operate on any of their routes, but they plan to run a reguilar service on the day after a strike.
MORE : All strikes planned for February 2023 – from trains to teachers
MORE : Teachers’ strike: Is your school closed? How to check if you’re affected
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‘We’re not asking for a pay rise – we’re asking not to lose ground so we can afford to live.’
