Rail services to be 'extremely limited' on Monday as drivers continue strike

05 February 2024 , 09:48

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Train drivers are on stike over pay and conditions. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Rail services are set for further interruption on Monday due to an ongoing strike by train drivers over pay and conditions.

This comes after a series of strikes and an overtime ban started last week, causing widespread cancellations across England. Members of the Aslef union at Chiltern, Great Western Railway (GWR) and CrossCountry will be striking on Monday, which will lead to widespread cancellations of services.

Trains run by Chiltern and CrossCountry won't operate at all on Monday, while GWR said its schedule will be "extremely limited". In a statement, GWR said: "On Monday, a reduced, revised timetable will operate across several train operators, including GWR."

They added that many areas of their network will have no service at all and those trains that are running will only be operating for a limited period during the day. All GWR services that do operate on Monday will start at 7am and finish around 7pm.

GWR has also cautioned that even once the strikes are over, there may still be a few unexpected cancellations and alterations: "On the days after strikes, services could also be affected by a limited number of short-notice cancellations and alterations," they warned. The dispute, which has been ongoing for 20 months now, seems nowhere near resolution, with no talks planned.

Aslef says that it hasn't had meetings with transport ministers for more than a year, nor employers since last April, when the union rejected a pay offer tied to changes in working practices. Train companies and the Government say their deal is "fair and reasonable" and they want the union to ask its members to take a look at the offer.

Aslef has said that when they keep asking their members if they want to keep striking, the majority are still in favour of strike action. The extra work ban will stop on Tuesday.

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Lawrence Matheson