Expert gives fresh hope to Christmas travellers with update on train strikes

08 December 2023 , 21:53

970     0

Expert gives fresh hope to Christmas travellers with update on train strikes

No further train strikes are expected before Christmas, travel expert Simon Calder has tonight confirmed.

Train drivers have been on strike this week across the UK, but industrial action won't impact passengers ahead of Christmas Day - typically when railways are at their busiest. Speaking tonight, the experienced travel journalist said: "When we are in this extraordinarily corrosive time, where basically you can't plan more than two weeks ahead, I can exclusively reveal to you that there will not be any more strikes before Christmas.

"But that's only because the executive committee of Aslef won't be meeting until Monday, and if they give a strike then, they've got to give 14 days' notice - that's Christmas Day, there aren't any trains anyway so if you're travelling before Christmas, all you've got to worry about is the possibility of floods, broken rails and all the other problems."

Simon Calder (right), an experienced travel journalist, spoke to Sky News tonight

Mr Calder spoke on Sky News after train services across northern England were crippled on Friday because of the final day of a wave of strikes by drivers in a long-running dispute over pay. Members of Aslef on Northern Trains and TransPennine Express walked out, leading to the cancellation of all services by both operators. Disruption is also expected on Saturday morning as rolling stock might be out of place.

Union members have staged strikes against different train operators since last Saturday and launched a ban on overtime, which ends tomorrow. The train driver of a service which hit overhead wires last night - sparking significant delays on the Elizabeth Line - was allegedly a manager drafted in because of a strike.

Striking teacher forced to take a second job to pay bills ahead of mass walkout

Delays are expected on the line this evening after power lines are still damaged near Paddington Station, Transport for London (TfL) says. Aslef, the union for train drivers, said today Great Western Railway (GWR) paid the operations investigations manager £500 for a short driving shift to keep services running last night.

However, severe disruption came yesterday - on the day drivers for GWR were on strike. James Blunt and Rachel Riley were among hundreds of passengers who were "trapped for hours" following the power failure.

GWR insisted the driver was "fully qualified with competence up to date' and that there was "absolutely no evidence" the overhead cable fault was due to a train. The incident led to chaos last night, a reduced service from 7am today though.

Bradley Jolly