A fresh wave of train strikes has led to rail services in parts of England grinding to a halt, with planned industrial action on Friday and Saturday set to affect hundreds of thousands of people travelling to sporting events and concerts.
More than 12,000 members of Aslef, the drivers’ union, began a 24-hour strike on Wednesday as part of the long-running dispute between the unions and the government over pay, jobs and conditions.
Passengers travelling on Saturday, which is the FA Cup final and penultimate day of Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour in the UK, will also face disruption as Aslef members strike. Members of the RMT union will strike on Friday. Rail operators have said services will be severely reduced.
Football fans travelling to London for the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Saturday will face major disruptions.
No services will run on networks including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern and Thameslink on Saturday. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents the train operating companies, said about 40% of trains will be running on Saturday, with wide regional variations.
Saturday’s strike will also affect people travelling to the annual Epsom Derby horse race in Surrey, where more than 100,000 spectators are expected to attend.
The unions say they have not been given a pay offer they can recommend to their members. Aslef rejected the government’s 4% offer, which they described as “risible” since train drivers have not had a pay rise for four years.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, told the PA news agency “there are no negotiations” in the bitter dispute over pay and conditions.
On the RMT strike day on Friday, about 50% of normal services will run. Aslef also starts an overtime ban on Thursday that could cause disruption, especially in and out of London.
After his train was delayed from London Paddington this morning, Uwe Kraeker, 60, said the strikes were “frustrating”.
“I understand people fight for better working conditions and wages but when they strike on public transportation they take the rest of the country hostage,” he told PA.
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Sylvia Lewandowska, 46, an NHS orbital prosthetist at Royal Berkshire hospital in Reading, said her journey to work from London Paddington was delayed by an hour, forcing her to reschedule four appointments.
Rail operators said passengers who have bought tickets can obtain refunds if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “These strikes have been coordinated by union leaders to disrupt passengers in a week which will see major events such as the first-ever all-Manchester FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby and a number of concerts and festivals across the UK.
“Not content with impacting the hundreds of thousands of people who have looked forward to these events all year round, unions are also targeting their own members’ pockets by forcing them to miss out on pay every time they strike.
“The government has facilitated a fair and reasonable pay offer, now union leaders must do the right thing and put this to their members.”
