Rail strikes: The latest on upcoming disruption as of Friday June 10

More than 50,000 railway workers are expected to walkout on Tuesday June 21, Thursday June 23 and Saturday June 25 across Network Rail and 13 train operating companies.

The RMT union says its members have faced multi-year pay freezes, while plans to cut thousands of jobs would make the country’s railways unsafe.

Staff at Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Southern and Thameslink services, were one of the only companies not to back strike action, instead voting for industrial action ‘short of a strike’.

However as the railway network is dependent on Network Rail staff to operate, the strikes are still expected to have a severe impact on services across Sussex.

Workers at Southeastern have voted in favour of a strike.

London Underground services will also be affected by strike action on Tuesday June 21.

Meanwhile ASLEF, the union for train drivers, has announced strike action at Greater Anglia on Thursday June 23, on Hull Trains on Sunday June 26,and tram drivers in South London on Tuesday June 28, Wednesday June 29, Wednesday July 13 and Thursday July 14.

ASLEF has called ballots for industrial action over pay at a number of operators including Southeastern.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, said that figures published this week by the Department for Transport that reveal that passenger numbers on Britain’s railways are nearly back to normal – back to pre-pandemic levels – underlines why there is no need for rail workers to be asked, effectively, to take a pay cut.

He added: “The train companies are doing very well out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and we are not going to work longer, for less. We want a pay rise, for train drivers, who kept people and goods moving during the pandemic, in line with the cost of living, so that we are not, in real terms, worse off.”

Earlier this week, Angie Doll, Chief Operating Officer, Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “We depend on Network Rail signallers and engineers to keep our trains moving, and our services connect with many lines and stations managed by other operators whose staff are taking action.

“We will provide more detailed passenger advice and information in the coming days.”

Meanwhile a Southeastern spokesman said: “We're now working hard to understand what level of service we can run on these days and we will advise you as soon as possible.

“We expect significant disruption across our network. Most of our stations and routes will be closed and we will only be able to run a severely reduced service, so we strongly recommend you plan ahead, do not travel on these dates and make alternative plans. Most customers will be unable to travel and replacement buses or taxis will not be available.

“We want to make sure you’re fully refunded for not being able to travel. Information on how to claim fee-free refunds is available on our website (southeasternrailway.co.uk/industrial-action).

“We’re very sorry for the inconvenience and frustration this industrial action will cause.”