London travel advice as series of train strikes to begin later this week
A series of rail strikes will begin at the end of this week.
Drivers union ASLEF and RMT transport workers union have organised strikes after both groups rejected a government pay offer and members voted to continue action.
Industrial action by rail workers will take place on Friday and Saturday, as well as between May 15 and 20.
On Friday services will be disrupted by a nationwide strike by ASLEF union members.
South Western Railway (SWR) said it will announce the full details of service changes as soon as possible and customers are advised to check before travelling on the day.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – which operates Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express is urging customers to check before they travel. There will be no trains running on these services on Friday as well as May 31 or June 3.
There will also be no trains running on any part of the Southeastern network on Friday and no replacement buses. No Thameslink or Southern services will be running on the Southeastern network.
On Saturday, a nationwide strike by RMT union members will severely reduce the number of trains SWR can run and the hours in which they can operate.
A reduced service will operate between 7am and 7pm only, and large parts of the network will be closed.
Services will also be limited across Southern and Thameslink networks and the impact of this action will have a knock-on effect on Sunday with services across the GTR network beginning no earlier than around 7am in some areas.
There will be a limited service running on the Southeastern network on Saturday and some routes will be closed.
Between May 15 and 20, there will be a nationwide ban on non-contractual overtime by ASLEF union members.
GTR will be implementing an amended timetable with fewer services overall between these dates as well as on June 1.
SWR services may also be subject to short-notice delays and cancellations.
This overtime ban will affect drivers at other operators, so customers are advised to check their entire journey before travelling.
Throughout the strikes Overground and Underground services will continue running.
Claire Mann, SWR’s managing director, said: “I’m sorry to say that due to nationwide industrial action by the RMT and ASLEF unions we will be forced to make changes to our services on three sets of dates in May.
“Throughout the strikes our advice is to check before travelling and again, we will confirm our train service as soon as possible, with the latest information on our website.”
Pictured top: SWR trains at Waterloo (Picture: SWR)
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