UK rail services are set to be heavily disrupted again on Wednesday (5 October) as train drivers at 13 train operators hold their latest one-day strike.
The 9,000 members of the Aslef union will walk out for 24 hours on 5 October, which will force some operators to cancel all services and others to run very few services.
The latest strike follows action by several unions on Saturday (1 October) which brought most of the UK rail network to a standstill.
Aslef’s industrial action on 5 October will affect the following operators: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Northern Trains, Southeastern, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.
Operators such as Northern, Avanti West Coast and Southeastern will not operate any trains on 5 October, while others will run a very limited service.
The union is in dispute with the train companies over pay, job cuts and changes to workers’ terms and conditions.
Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said: “These strikes disrupt the travel plans of millions of passengers and undermine businesses who continue to struggle with rising costs and this continued action will only further damage the railway’s recovery.
“While some rail companies are not involved in the strike, services are likely to be busy, severely disrupted or in some cases not running, so passengers should check the latest travel advice before setting off.”
Meanwhile the RMT union is also planning another walkout on Saturday (8 October) which will affect the entire UK rail network.
Several UK unions had planned rail strikes during September but they were postponed during the period of mourning following the death of the Queen on 8 September.