Press release -
Rail strike this weekend – Passengers advised to plan ahead
With another rail strike currently expected this Saturday, 7 December, train companies are warning passengers to plan ahead. As the run up to Christmas attracts more people onto the network, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway are concerned that less frequent rail users may not be aware of the industrial action.
The two companies will be running reduced train services this Saturday, 7 December. Passengers are being strongly advised to check their journeys due to planned strike action by members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT). Travel between Birmingham New Street and Euston via Northampton is expected to be very badly affected.
Passengers using London Northwestern Railway services have been affected most of all in recent weeks due to drivers refusing to cross picket lines. This has resulted in a large number of un-planned cancellations. If the strike goes ahead similar disruption is expected this weekend making travel on the Birmingham – Euston route via Northampton very difficult.
An amended timetable will be in operation and passengers are being asked to carefully consider their journeys and to check on the day of travel.
Some parts of the network will have no WMR or LNR trains, including stations between:
- Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury
- Kidderminster and Hereford
- Hereford and Bromsgrove
- Whitlocks End and Stratford-upon-Avon
- Stratford-upon-Avon and Dorridge
- Dorridge and Leamington Spa
- Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley
- Rugby and Crewe via Nuneaton and Rugeley Trent Valley
- Crewe and Stafford via Stoke-on-Trent
- Bletchley and Bedford
- Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey
Passengers holding tickets for travel this Saturday can use them on Friday 6 December, Sunday 8 December or Monday 9 December. If preferred, passengers can also claim a full refund.
For those who do travel, WMR or LNR tickets will be accepted on NX Bus and Metro services.
Further strike action is currently scheduled to take place each Saturday until the end of December. Passengers are advised to watch for further announcements regarding future strike days.
For the latest information about how train services are being affected and alternative transport options on Saturday, go to www.wmr.uk/industrialaction or www.lnr.uk/industrialaction
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About West Midlands Trains
For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email press.office@wmtrains.co.uk
West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.
- London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.
- West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.
For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk
The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.
West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.
The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com
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