Customers reminded to check before they travel due to upcoming one day strikes and overtime ban across train companies in December

Passengers should check before they travel due to industrial action called by the ASLEF leadership between 1 and 9 December. 

Drivers at train companies will strike for 24 hours on dates between Saturday 2 and Friday 8 December (not including Monday 4 December), and there will be an overtime ban on train companies between Friday 1 and Saturday 9 December. 

The strikes will affect services on 17 train companies (listed below). Train companies will operate as many trains as possible throughout the period, but there will be wide regional variations, with some operators running no services at all on strike days. Services that are running on strike days will start later and finish much earlier than usual – typically running between 7.30am and 6.30pm. 

It is likely that services on some lines will be affected on the evening before and morning after each strike between 2 and 8 December because much of the rolling stock will not be in the right depots.  

The rail industry is working hard to keep trains running despite the union leaders’ decision to stage the action in the run up to the festive season, which will sadly disrupt many passengers’ heading out for a celebration, as well as businesses during a crucial trading period. 

It comes as the leadership continues to block an offer which would give drivers an 8 per cent pay rise over two years, taking their average annual salary from nearly £60,000 to almost £65,000 for a typical 4-day week, to their members. 

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group said: “This unnecessary and avoidable industrial action called by the ASLEF leadership has been targeted to disrupt customers and businesses ahead of the vital festive period, where people will be attending events and catching up with friends and loved ones. It will also inflict further damage on an industry that is receiving up to an additional £175m a month in taxpayer cash to keep services running, following the covid downturn.  

“As the level of service varies across the country, our advice is to check before you travel and follow the latest travel information. Customers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets for travel between Saturday 2 December – Friday 8 December can instead use their tickets any time between Friday 1 December up until Tuesday 12 December. Those with Advance tickets can be refunded fee-free if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed, or rescheduled. 

“It doesn’t have to be this way. The ASLEF leadership are blocking a fair and affordable offer made by industry in the Spring would take average driver base salaries for a 4-day week from £60,000 to nearly £65,000. We urge them to put it to its members, give Christmas back to our customers, and end this damaging industrial dispute.” 

Ticketing arrangements     

Customers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets for travel between Saturday 2 December – Friday 8 December can instead use their tickets any time between Friday 1 December up until Tuesday 12 December. The policy only applies to tickets purchased before the strikes were announced on 17 November.  

If the Advance ticket is for a train that is scheduled for a strike day, and that service is not cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, but a customer prefers not to travel, they should contact their ticket retailer.     

Customers with two Advance tickets (an outbound and a return), to be used as a return journey, may be able to get a fee-free refund or change of journey for any unused legs/tickets, if one (either) of the legs is scheduled for a strike day. Customers should check with their ticket retailer.     

Passengers with season tickets (flexi, monthly or longer), who do not travel, can claim 100% compensation for the strike dates through Delay Repay.    

Passengers can check on the National Rail Enquiries website or their rail operator’s website for further travel advice.