‘Do not travel’ warning as train drivers strike
RAIL passengers face disruption as Avanti West Coast issued a ‘do not travel warning’ amid strike action.
The operator announced it will be slashing its timetables and suspending ticket sales due to ‘unofficial strike action’ by drivers.
Avanti has issued a ‘do not travel warning’ for tomorrow and will run as few as four trains per hour from Sunday in an attempt to halt the short-notice cancellations which have plagued operations.
Services between Manchester and London Euston appear to be the worst affected by the cut, with trains reduced from three per hour to just one. The limited timetable will be in place ‘until further notice,’ Avanti West Coast said.
With no services running tomorrow, customers have been told to claim a refund or rearrange their journey.
Aslef has insisted that its members at Avanti West Coast are not involved in strike action before a walkout on Saturday in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
Drivers at eight other train companies will also strike tomorrow. They are CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, London
Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains. And on August 18 and 20, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) and Unite will strike in the long-running row over pay, jobs and conditions, affecting Network Rail and 14 train companies.
Managing director of Avanti West Coast, Phil Whittingham, said: “Yet again our customers will bear the brunt of industrial action and will face a weekend of misery as a result. With the summer holidays in full swing and the return of the Premier League, this action will ruin many people’s plans.
“We would urge (Aslef ) to engage in meaningful industry reform talks around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st century and we remain open for talks at any time.”