Train drivers at eight rail companies are to stage a 24-hour strike

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Over 40,000 workers at Network Rail and 14 other train companies have confirmed they will be continuing with strike action over the next few weeks in response to what the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) describes as Network Rail’s “paltry” pay offer. It comes after Britain saw its biggest ever rail strike in June, bringing nearly 80 percent of services to a standstill during three days of travel chaos.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Strike action will take place [on] Wednesday as planned and our members are more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.

“Network Rail has not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the Train Companies have not offered us anything new.

“RMT will continue to negotiate in good faith but we will not be bullied or cajoled by anyone.

“The Government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”

The RMT has planned strikes across three dates, while train drivers at eight other rail companies have agreed to a separate strike over pay this week, too.

When are the next rail strikes?

The next RMT rail strikes are scheduled for:

• Wednesday, July 27
• Thursday, August 18
• Saturday, August 20

Similar to June, the strikes are expecting up to 40,000 members of the RMT union, which includes workers from Network Rail and the remaining 14 train operating companies that took action last month, to walk out on these dates.

The train companies taking part in the action include:

• Chiltern Railways
• Cross Country Trains
• Greater Anglia
• LNER
• East Midlands Railway
• c2c
• Great Western Railway
• Northern Trains
• South Eastern
• South Western Railway
• TransPennine Express
• Avanti West Coast
• West Midlands Trains
• GTR (including Gatwick Express)

The TSSA union said its members at Avanti West Coast are also planning to strike on Wednesday, July 27, coinciding with the RMT action.

A separate strike over pay will see members from the Aslef union at eight companies; Chiltern, LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express, Arriva Rail London, Great Western, Southeastern and West Midlands, also walk out on Saturday, July 30.

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Network Rail has said only 20 percent of services will run on Wednesday, and some places will have no trains at all.

In an attempt to help minimise disruption, Network Rail has published a special timetable for Wednesday, with trains due to work on a reduced service.

On strike days, trains will start later and finish earlier than usual, between 7am and 6.30pm BST.

On Wednesday, for example, the last trains from London will leave for Edinburgh at 2pm, for Birmingham at 4.03pm and Manchester at 3:40pm

All train operators, including Transport for London (TfL), will be affected by the strike as Network Rail’s signallers control train movements across Great Britain, and the knock-on effects of the disruption are expected to roll over to Thursday.

Mr Lynch said the union plans to continue to try to reach a deal with Network Rail ahead of Wednesday, but he doesn’t want to raise “false hopes”.

He told BBC Radio 4: “If we could get a breakthrough then we wouldn’t have to take strike action but there’s a big gap between the parties at the moment.”

“So I’m not going to raise false hopes but we are constantly in dialogue with all of the elements of the industry.”

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