Rail strikes: Travel chaos as four in five trains not running today – with more cancellations tomorrow
JUST one in five train services are running today as workers walk out - causing yet more summer holiday travel misery.
Rail services across the country have been delayed and cancelled for the second time in a week after tens of thousands of workers staged a walk-out on Thursday.
The chaos is set to last until at least Sunday, with strikes at Network Rail, on the London Underground and on bus routes.
Most trains have been axed today, and there'll be fewer services tomorrow as staff get back to work.
Train companies have warned their final services tonight will depart by 5pm. Football and cricket fans, tourists and holidaymakers are among those affected by the disruption.
Would-be travellers lashed out on social media today.
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One said: "I have an elderly father in London. I need to visit him every few days but these militant strikes could stop me because they want more money."
A Cornish businessman said he'd spotted hitchhikers trying to thumb a lift to Plymouth in Devon, adding: "Not seen that for ages but might be a bit desperate due to the train strike."
And a furious football fan said: "Have been trying to get to Wembley since 7am but have failed due to the bloody RMT strikes. I hope they're proud of themselves.
"Thank you for ruining my weekend and wasting £250 of my hard-earned cash."
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite are involved in the industrial action after ongoing talks failed to break the deadlocked rows.
Chiefs at Transport for London gave a grim warning to travellers hoping to make the most of the school break.
TRAVEL MISERY
A spokesperson said: "Strikes on national rail services are expected to cause severe disruption.
"Only travel on national rail services if absolutely necessary."
Buses in West and South West London, as well as parts of Surrey, have also been hit with problems.
The Tube was deserted yesterday because of strikes. Services resumed this morning after 8am.
However, there will be disruption on the Overground, with no services after 6pm.
Avanti West Coast is advising customers to travel only if absolutely necessary today. The company will run one train per hour from Euston to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Preston, with a limited service on to Glasgow.
North Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool and Edinburgh will have no services. Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent and Runcorn stations will be closed.
STATIONS DESERTED
Chiltern are advising customers they will be running an extremely limited service, without a replacement bus service.
Two trains per hour will operate from Marylebone to High Wycombe and one train per hour to Aylesbury via Amersham. There will be no service north of High Wycombe and no replacement bus service.
CrossCountry will be running a extremely limited service. Today, trains will only run between Derby and Edinburgh and between Southampton Central and Manchester Piccadilly.
All Gatwick Express trains are cancelled.
There will also be a huge number of cancellations on Great Western Rail, South Western, Southeastern, and both West and East Midlands Railway.
Anyone hoping to travel is urged to check for information before leaving.
Unions are hell-bent on causing as much misery as possible... they're ruining millions of hard-working people's summer plans
Grant Shapps
RMT chief Mick Lynch said the strike "won't be broken" until there's a settlement to the dispute.
Speaking from a picket line at Euston on Thursday, he warned: "We don't have a fixed programme - I don't have a whiteboard saying it starts on this day and it ends on that day.
"We won't be broken. We are determined to get a settlement.
"People have shown on the picket lines they are determined to dig in, we're not going to waste our members' efforts.
"We will continue the fight until we get a settlement."
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has hit back, blasting: "It's clear, from their co-ordinated approach, that the unions are hell-bent on causing as much misery as possible to the very same taxpayers who stumped up £600 per household to ensure not a single rail worker lost their job during the pandemic.
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"Sadly, union chiefs have short memories and will be repaying this act of good faith by ruining millions of hard-working people's summer plans."
Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: "It saddens me that we are again having to ask passengers to stay away from the railway for two days this week due to unnecessary strike action, when we should be helping them enjoy their summers."
