TRAIN passengers will be left out to dry as strikes decimate services up and down the country.
A number of planned strikes will offer significant disruption to rail commuters to see in 2023 with a week of "travel hell".
What are the rail strike dates?
The planned rail strike dates for the first week of 2023 will see action take place on:
- Tuesday January 3, 2023
- Wednesday January 4, 2023
- Thursday January 5, 2023
- Friday January 6, 2023
- Saturday January 7, 2023
On these days it is believed that only 1 in 5 trains will run and nearly all operators will be impacted.
Two 48-hour strikes by Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) at Network Rail and up to 15 train operators will offer major disruption to services.
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Drivers in the Aslef union will strike on Thursday January 5, 2023.
Aslef, which represents 96 per cent of train drivers in England, Scotland and Wales, announced that workers with 15 companies, including Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway and Great Western Railway, had voted for the strike.
The day following strikes, now called "shoulder days", will see timetables running at 60% of their normal capacity.
When do the train strikes finish?
With voting ongoing with the unions, strike action could potentially continue into spring.
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However, the planned strikes for the start of the year are scheduled to end on January 7, 2023.
This means that services should return to normal on January 8, but these "shoulder days", are only geared towards a reduced-service timetable running.
It is thought that the strikes have had significant cost to the industry as a result.
Which train lines are affected by the rail strike?
During RMT's two 48-hour strikes, the following operators will be affected:
- LNER
- Northern trains
- Avanti West Coast
- Southeastern
- Cross Country
- Chiltern Railways
- Greater Anglia
- Govia Thameslink (plus Gatwick Express)
- London Underground
- West Midlands Trains (plus London Northwestern Railway)
- Great Western Railway
- Transpennine Express
Industrial action by Aslef members will affect the following train companies:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia
- GTR Great Northern
- London North Eastern Railway
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- Southern/Gatwick Express
- South Western Railway (depot drivers only)
- SWR Island Line
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
Checking with local operators is advised to see how your journey is affected as the strikes are expected to cause nationwide disruption.
Will there be any more rail strikes in 2023?
With union members voting, more strikes could be planned into the year, unless workers receive a deal they find acceptable in talks.
Mick Whelan, General Secretary of Aslef, said: "We keep coming to the table but the table is bare.
"Six months after we asked for a pay rise for train drivers who have, now, not had one for nearly four years, we have still not had an offer from the train companies which employ us.
"The ball is in their court. The companies, or this Tory government which stands behind them, could end this dispute now by making a serious and sensible pay offer. It is up to them."
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT claimed that the government had blocked a deal to end the dispute.
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He said that he is willing to negotiate but requires an offer on pay, jobs and conditions that their members can vote on.
It remains to be seen if the two parties can come to an agreement but it will be the commuter who feels the brunt of the intended strike actions.
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