Rail strikes clobber the high street

LARGE swathes of the rail network will grind to a halt again today amid warnings the latest strike could wreck hard-pressed businesses.

Members of the Aslef union, representing drivers at a dozen rail operators, will walk out in an ongoing dispute over pay – despite the average salary being £60,000.

The one-day strike – their fifth of the year – will cause huge disruption, with the industry warning of ‘significantly reduced’ services elsewhere across the network.

Retailers fear it will have a major impact on businesses on one of the most important shopping days of the year, just four weeks before Christmas.

Jane Gratton, of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: ‘The ongoing strikes will have a major impact on everyone – businesses will struggle, people will lose out and the economy will suffer.

‘This could be a disaster for firms who rely on Christmas sales to see them through January and February.’

Rail operators including Avanti, Chiltern, London North Western Railway and Southeastern will cease all services, while reduced or limited services will be running on Great Western, Greater Anglia and the TransPennine Express.

Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said members had not received a pay rise since 2019 and progress in talks to resolve the dispute had been ‘incredibly slow’. He added: ‘No one is listening to us.’