Rail passengers were forced to sleep at stations today as train drivers began a 24-hour strike, while employers pleaded with militant union barons to attend key talks to end the summer of discontent.
As nine rail businesses went on strike today, bleary-eyed passengers were seen waking up to new turmoil at London’s Paddington station, while the shutters were locked at London Euston and commuter stations around the nation.
Aslef members at nine railway companies will strike for 24 hours, crippling big portions of the network and leaving large areas of the nation without services.
Customers have been told to anticipate crowded trains and unexpected delays as limited services operate throughout the day, while big swaths of the nation will be cut off from the rail network until Sunday.
Football lovers, tourists, and vacationers are among the tens of thousands of passengers whose plans may be disrupted by the strike on Saturday.
Coldplay fans were also told to anticipate serious disruption if they wanted to attend the Grammy award-winning band’s sellout event at Wembley Stadium tonight evening, which had previously been rescheduled due to strikes.
Today’s strikers include Avanti West Coast, Arriva Rail London, CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), West Midlands Trains, and Southeastern.
No trains will operate today on London Overground, CrossCountry, Southeastern, West Midlands Trains, London Northwestern Railway, or Avanti West Coast due to the strike.
Aslef will set up picket lines outside train stations, and leaders said they anticipate popular support to continue despite the consequences of the strike.
Picketing vehicles began congregating early Saturday at Willesden Junction station in north west London, when they announced their protest by erecting banners and posters on a nearby bridge.
Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, has warned that if discussions over wage and modernization plans fail, additional strikes are likely.
‘We don’t want to go on strike; strikes are usually a last choice,’ he remarked, but the firms and the government pressed his hand.
‘We don’t want to disrupt passengers because our friends and relatives use public transportation as well, because we believe in restoring faith in British trains, and because we don’t want to lose money by going on strike.’
‘The corporations have said that they are unable or unwilling to grant our members a raise.
‘They blame the government, blaming it on dubious arrangements struck when franchises were converted into management contracts,’ while the government blames the railway operators. So we’re in a Catch-22 scenario, with one side blaming the other.’ ‘The Aslef leadership has opted to impose still more uncertainty on passengers and companies by disturbing travellers’ weekend plans for the second time in as many weeks,’ said Steve Montgomery, chairman of the Rail Delivery Group.
‘My offer to meet with Aslef remains open.’ The railway is too crucial to our nation to let it to fade, but with passenger numbers still 20% lower than pre-pandemic levels, ensuring a bright future involves adapting to entice more people back.
‘We urge Aslef to come to the table so that we can support the wage raises we want to offer our employees while also improving Sunday services and increasing timeliness for our customers.’
‘While we will do everything possible to minimize disruption and get passengers where they need to go, if you are planning to travel on the impacted lines, please plan ahead and check the most recent travel advice, and be aware that services may resume later the morning following strikes,’ says the company.
Members of the RMT and TSSA unions will strike on August 18 and 20, while London Underground and bus drivers will strike on August 19.
Meanwhile, a dispute raged about cutbacks to Avanti West Coast Sunday services, which the firm and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps blamed on unauthorised action by Aslef, which the union strenuously opposed.
‘People need assurance and trust that their train will run on time, and although this step was necessary, it should minimize the effect for passengers,’ said a representative for the Department for Transport.
‘This is an excellent illustration of why we need to modernize our railroads so that passengers may benefit from accurate schedules that do not rely on the goodwill of drivers willing to work extra in the first place.’
The Department of Transport stated the accusation that the Government was obstructing discussions was “completely incorrect.”
‘From the start, we have urged the unions and industry to reach an agreement that is fair to railway workers, passengers, and taxpayers.’
The government said that £16 billion was spent to keep the railway going during the peak of the epidemic, and that without such assistance, enterprises may have failed, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs.
Rail employees have enjoyed above-average pay rises over the last decade, with earnings growing by about 25% from £35,000 in 2011 to £44,000 in 2021, according to the government, which added that pay increases for rail workers must be ‘fair and in line with the broader public sector.’