More disruption to rail services have recently been announced with train drivers in the ASLEF union set to hold further industrial action during December. Train strikes are expected to take place between December 1 and December 9 for rail workers in the union, with all members also refusing to work any overtime between those dates and will see routes in and around Greater Manchester affected.
The 16 companies with which ASLEF union is in dispute with include Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; c2c; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; Great Western Railway; Island Line; LNER; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway; TransPennine Trains; and West Midlands Trains.
Both ASLEF and the RMT, which represents other rail workers, have taken repeated industrial action over the past 18 months. Despite a vote among RMT union members to accept an offer from rail operating companies, including a backdated pay rise, Aslef will continue with industrial action this December.
Which train routes in and around Greater Manchester will be affected by the strikes?
Avanti West Coast
On Sunday 3 December, Avanti West Coast will not be running any services on their routes. Avanti West Coast services on the days either side of the strike will also be affected, along with industrial action impacting other train companies throughout the week.
Avanti West Coast said: “Though we plan to run our normal timetable during this period (with changes instead relating to the full strike action on 3 December and the resulting impact on 2 and 4 December), we recommend you check before you travel, as the overtime ban’s impact will vary from route to route, and your entire journey across multiple train operators may be affected.”
Northern
On Friday 8 December, there will be no Northern service operating on any route. However, Network Rail has said Northern are not expected to be affected by the ASLEF Union overtime ban from December 1-9.
TransPennine
On Friday 8 December, there will be no TransPennine Express service operating on any routes. The TransPennine website says: “Although we plan to run our normal timetable, we expect action short of a strike to cause significant disruption to journeys.
“Services during action short of a strike may be altered or cancelled on the night before or morning of your journey. We strongly recommend you check before you travel and allow extra time for your journey as services are expected to be busy.”
Anyone planning to travel between December 1 and 9 are advised to plan carefully for any rail journeys as services may start later and finish earlier than usual.