Rail strikes in Sussex: Only travel if absolutely necessary Southern and Thameslink passengers warned

The RMT held three days of strike action in late June and tens of thousands of RMT union members working for Network Rail and 14 operating companies are holding another walkout tomorrow.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”

Operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Southern and Thameslink trains, will be running the same service plan as for the last strikes in June and warns there will be very few trains, with crowding expected, particularly on last trains, and possible delays.

Gatwick Express will not operate although the airport will have a limited Southern and Thameslink service.

There will be no service at all on many routes such as the Arun Valley, East Coastway and West Coastway lines.

Trains will start running at around 7.30am and finish between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.

The next morning, on Thursday July 28, services will start at around 7.15am or later, and there will be an amended service on that day. Morning trains are likely to be very busy. Customers are recommended to travel later, plan their journeys and check again before travelling.

Strike action by the drivers’ union ASLEF at neighbouring train operators is also likely to affect GTR services on Saturday July 30.

Angie Doll, GTR’s chief operating officer, said: “Regrettably, we have to ask people once again to travel only if absolutely necessary on Wednesday 27 July, because of strike action by RMT members. There will be very few train services and some routes will be closed altogether.

“Services will start much later than normal and finish as early as 4.30pm. All this may lead to very busy trains and possible delays. Passengers should plan ahead and think about travelling at another time.

“We are extremely disappointed that passengers across the country now face the anxiety of further rail disruption. Our focus remains on encouraging the RMT to work with the industry to seek a swift resolution.”

Striking signallers at Network Rail will have the greatest impact on the service, leading GTR to focus on providing a service on its busiest mainline routes only.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, apologised for the impact of what he called a ‘pointless strike’, adding: “It is frustrating to yet again ask our passengers to change their plans and only make essential journeys.”

Meanwhile there will also be no trains on the Southeastern-run Hastings line.

Alicia Andrews, Southeastern’s commercial director, said: “If a strike goes ahead there’ll be significant disruption to our services. The number of train services we'll be able to run will be extremely limited, and so we'd strongly advise our passengers not to travel for any reason, to re-plan their journey for another day or, to work from home if they can. We apologise for the obvious inconvenience this causes.”