Rail commuters face a weekend of severe disruption as London Euston-bound trains grind to a near-halt due to industrial action by staff at London Northwestern Railway (LNR) and West Midlands Trains (WMT). The strike, organised by the TSSA rail union over payments for rest day working, will significantly reduce services on Friday 10th July and Saturday 11th July.
The dispute, which marks the second round of industrial action since May, centres around a claim for parity in pay with other rail unions. Consequently, services on both days will be severely impacted, with LNR advising passengers to recheck their travel plans before setting off. This comes as TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust described the situation as 'intolerable', urging resolution to avoid further disruption.
On Friday, a limited service will operate on specific routes, including hourly trains between London Euston and Crewe, Birmingham and Liverpool, and Birmingham and Milton Keynes. However, no trains will run beyond 7pm, with final departures occurring much earlier than usual. Routes such as the Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley, and the Stafford-Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent line, will see no service at all on Friday.
Saturday will also see limited LNR services, commencing from 7am. The strike involves various workers, including roster clerks and duty train crew managers. LNR and WMT have confirmed that customers affected by cancelled services are eligible for a full refund, or their tickets can be used on either Thursday 9th July or Sunday 12th July instead.
Jonny Wiseman, LNR Customer Experience Director, expressed disappointment over the further strike action and urged the TSSA to continue talks to resolve the dispute. The Department for Transport has been approached for comment, but no response was received at the time of going to press.