Drastically reduced train service during strike

ALL AREAS: Passengers have been urged to only travel ‘if absolutely necessary’ during planned rail strikes next week.

Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) are planning three separate 24-hour walkouts on June 21, June 23 and June 25.

The strikes have been called due to fears over job cuts and disputes over pay and terms and conditions.

Great Western Railway said it is aiming to provide 30 per cent of its normal timetabled services on strike days.

This will see a ‘very limited’ service operating between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

The rail operator is hoping that 50 per cent of its normal services will be running on non-strike days between June 21 and June 25.

Plans for the Maidenhead to Marlow line are still not confirmed but GWR said services may not run on strike days.

Mark Hopwood, managing director of GWR, said: “We very much welcome the opportunity to continue to talk with the RMT to avert strike action.

“Any strike will impact on customers’ journeys and can only damage the post-COVID recovery everyone at GWR has been working to win back, while at the same time making it more difficult to deliver the changes we need to secure jobs and services for the future.”

He added: “I'm hopeful that RMT will step back, however colleagues have been working hard to put contingency plans in place and give certainty to customers who need to travel.”

South Western Railway, which operates services between London Waterloo and Windsor, is also running a ‘severely reduced’ timetable on strike dates next week.

Transport for London has announced there will be a reduced service on the Elizabeth line on strike days.