Well over a yr on from the beginning of the primary nationwide rail strikes because the Eighties, the disputes between the principle rail unions and train operators over pay, jobs and dealing circumstances seem as intractable as ever.

July had seen the resumption of industrial action aimed toward greater than a dozen rail corporations, which is able to proceed into August.

The largest rail union, the RMT, and Aslef, representing train drivers, say lots of their members haven’t had a pay rise for 4 years. They are demanding no-strings will increase that consider the excessive degree of inflation. The unions are ready to focus on reforms, however these should be negotiated individually – and be accompanied by commensurate pay boosts.

Train operators and ministers – who should log out any deal – insist modernisation is crucial following the collapse of rail income. Much of the “bedrock” of season ticket gross sales has vanished because the Covid pandemic. The solely method to award even a modest improve is to fund it out of effectivity financial savings,

Caught within the center: the long-suffering passenger. Since June 2022, nationwide rail strikes and different types of industrial action have scuppered the journey plans of tens of hundreds of thousands of train passengers. Stoppages have been referred to as ceaselessly, inflicting large disruption and making advance journey planning tough.

These are the important thing questions and solutions.

Who is taking industrial action, and when?

The largest rail union, the RMT, says 20,000 of its members have been out on strike on Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 July. Thousands of trains have been cancelled every day at first of the principle summer season college holidays in England.

No additional strikes are at the moment introduced. But with no progress in talks since April, and no future negotiations deliberate, information of recent strikes is predicted quickly from the RMT.

On the latest strike day, 29 July, RMT normal secretary Mick Lynch stated: “Our members keep voting for more strike action because they haven’t got a settlement we can work with.”

The train drivers’ union, Aslef, is mounting “action short of a strike” within the form of a collection Monday-to-Saturday additional time bans. The subsequent begins on Monday 31 July till Saturday 5 August. After a pause for Sunday, one other begins on Monday 7 August to Saturday 12 August.

Hundreds of trains are possible to be cancelled every day consequently.

Which train operators are concerned within the nationwide disputes?

The RMT strikes and Aslef additional time bans are aimed toward rail corporations in England contracted by the Department for Transport. They embody the main intercity operators:

Most London commuter operators can be hit:

Operators specializing in the Midlands and north of England can be affected:

What is going on about the London Underground?

London Overground and the Elizabeth Line are unaffected by the deliberate industrial action. But routes that supply options to strike-hit nationwide rail routes, akin to Stratford, Walthamstow Central and Ealing Broadway to central London, are possible to be particularly busy through the walk-out by RMT members,

Why have been the July and August dates chosen?

Like any unions, the RMT and Aslef are searching for the largest affect – ie to trigger as a lot disruption as they will. With rail commuting sharply down because the Covid pandemic, the goal is now leisure passengers.

The RMT union’s nationwide walk-outs focused what have been possible to be three of the busiest days of the month, with many households on the transfer at first of college holidays in England, significantly to and from seaside resorts.

The first two dates additionally fell through the Open golf championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, and the third hit cricket followers hoping to journey to London for the fifth Ashes Test between England and Australia on the Oval.

Aslef’s rolling additional time bans are aimed toward leisure travellers within the peak vacation month.

Which trains will run through the Aslef and RMT industrial action?

Passengers can count on regular service on:

Southeastern: The Aslef additional time ban is unlikely to hit providers. Any future RMT strike days will see a lot diminished providers. Links wil run from London Victoria to Bromley South, London Bridge to Dartford and Sevenoaks and London St Pancras International to Ashford International, Canterbury and Ramsgate, with diminished service hours.

Southern: A diminished timetable will function on all days of industrial action, however largely with regular hours. On Saturday 5 August there can be no trains between London and Brighton – the situation for a giant Pride celebration.

Gatwick Express: Cancelled on all days of industrial action, however different Southern providers can be found (and are less expensive).

Thameslink: The Thameslink core between London Bridge and St Pancras International can be closed throughout all industrial action.

During the Aslef additional time ban, an emergency timetable with fewer providers will function.

On any future RMT strike days, a much-reduced service will run between 7am and 7pm.

Southwestern: Reduced providers throughout Aslef additional time ban. On any future RMT strike day, a skeleton community will run linking London Waterloo with Guildford, Southampton, Ascot and Hampton Court.

Great Western Railway (GWR): The Aslef additional time ban “is likely to cause some short-notice alterations or cancellations”. All Night Riviera sleeper providers have been cancelled for 2 weeks, resuming on 13 August.

On any future RMT strike days, a core service is probably going between London Paddington and Oxford, Cardiff, Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth.

CrossCountry: Expect short-notice alterations or cancellations through the Aslef additional time ban.

On any future RMT strike day, a diminished community with nothing north of Edinburgh or west of Plymouth is probably going. Cardiff to Nottingham trains won’t run, and the same old hyperlink from Birmingham to Stansted Airport will terminate at Peterborough.

Chiltern: Fewer trains and diminished hours through the Aslef additional time ban, with further cancellations due to engineering work –together with on HS2.

On any future RMT strike days the community can be diminished to a restricted service linking London Marylebone with Aylesbury, Banbury and Oxford.

West Midlands Railway: During the Aslef train drivers’ additional time ban, “services will be subject to on the day alterations/cancellations”.

In addition, buses will change trains on the Leamington Spa-Coventry-Nuneaton hyperlink and a few Birmingham-Hereford providers. Some Birmingham-Shrewsbury providers can be cancelled.

Avanti West Coast: The Aslef additional time bans usually are not anticipated to have an effect. On any future RMT strike days, the essential sample to and from London Euston can be one train every hour to/from:

Northern: “Disruption is expected between 31 July and 5 August, due to industrial action called by Aslef.”

TransPennine Express: “We expect some services to start later and finish earlier than usual, and some journeys may be altered late the night before or on the day of travel.” That is the prediction for the Aslef additional time bans.

On any future RMT strike days a really restricted variety of trains will run on the Manchester Piccadilly-Leeds-York-Scarborough route; between Preston and Manchester Airport; and between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.

East Midlands Railway: “There will likely be several train cancellations” – that’s the prediction for the Aslef additional time bans. On any RMT strike days, the operator says: “Only travel by rail if absolutely necessary and if you do travel, expect severe disruption.”

LNER: During Aslef additional time ban, the state-owned rail agency serving the East Coast essential line says: “We expect to run a normal timetable during these times, however, it is possible there will be short-notice alterations and cancellations.”

On RMT strike days, LNER runs common providers on the London-York-Newcastle-Edinburgh route, with first departures round 7am and ultimate arrivals round 10pm. London-Leeds providers will run roughly 7am-6pm.

Great Northern: “An amended timetable with fewer services will run. Services will be busier than usual, especially in peak hours. It’s likely you will need to queue and you may not be able to board your chosen service. You should allow extra time for your journey.”

Greater Anglia: “A number of cancellations” through the Aslef additional time ban.

Why are all trains to Brighton cancelled for Pride?

All trains going anyplace close to the Sussex metropolis on the day of the LGBTQ+ occasion, Saturday 5 August, are cancelled. Normally GTR, the Southern/Thameslink/Gatwick Express franchise, runs dozens of further trains for the occasion, with tens of hundreds of additional passengers. These contain drivers working additional time, which won’t occur this yr.

The train operator says: “After exploring all possible options, and following discussions with the police, emergency services and local council, we simply cannot run a safe service with enough capacity for the extraordinary number of passengers that travel to Brighton for Pride.

“We can’t in good faith bring people into Brighton that cannot get home again, potentially leaving thousands of people stranded – safety must come first.”

But Aslef normal secretary Mick Whelan stated: “The fact that GTR Thameslink has chosen not to run services for passengers on Saturday reveals that this is a clear, conscious, and deliberate decision to disrupt – and ruin – Brighton Pride.

“It is outrageous – and utterly ridiculous – to try to blame Aslef for problems which are entirely of this train company’s own making.

“The simple fact is that this company does not employ enough drivers to deliver the services it has promised passengers, businesses, and the Department for Transport it will run. That’s why it is dependent on drivers working overtime.

“The company should do the right thing – give our members, their drivers, the pay rise they deserve – and give the people of Brighton the train service they need. Not just on the Saturday of Brighton Pride. But on every day, of every week, and for the rest of this year.’

Will airport trains run during industrial action?

The Gatwick Express between the Sussex airport and London is suspended during the Aslef action, but Southern trains are available on the London Victoria-Gatwick link.

Note that Brighton will be cut off from Gatwick during the city’s Pride festivities on Saturday 5 August.

Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Southampton, Birmingham and Manchester airports will have some trains during any future RMT walk-outs.

Heathrow airport is unaffected by the national walk-outs: it is served by the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line, as well as the London Underground.

Will Eurostar be affected?

No, but connections to and from the train operator’s main hub at London St Pancras International may be difficult because of industrial action at all three domestic train operators at the station (East Midlands Railway, Southeastern and Thameslink) serving the station.

Why is Aslef taking industrial action?

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s leader, said: “Once again we find ourselves with no alternative but to take this action. We have continually come to the negotiating table in good faith, seeking to resolve the dispute.

“Sadly, it is clear from the actions of both the train operating companies and the government that they do not want an end to the dispute. Their goals appear to be to continue industrial strife and to do down our industry.

“We don’t want to inconvenience the public. We just want to see our members paid fairly during a cost of living crisis when inflation is running at above 10 per cent, and to not see our terms and conditions taken away.

“It’s time for the government and the companies to think again and look for a resolution.”

Why is the RMT hanging?

The RMT normal secretary Mick Lynch has described the most recent supply from the train operators – represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) – as “substandard”. He stated: “This latest phase of action will show the country just how important railway staff are to the running of the rail industry.

”The authorities continues to shackle the businesses and won’t enable them to put ahead a package deal that may settle this dispute.

“RMT will continue its industrial campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement on pay, working conditions and job security.

The RMT has staged walk-outs on 33 days in the current wave of strikes, with Aslef stopping work on 13 previous occasions.

What do the train operators say?

A spokesman for the RDG said: “More strikes are totally unnecessary. After a year of industrial action all the RMT has achieved is losing their members more money than they would have received in the pay offers they refused to put to put out to a vote, despite having agreed the terms with the negotiators the room.

“We have now made three offers that the RMT executive have blocked without a convincing explanation. We remain open to talks and we have said repeatedly that we want to give our people a pay rise.

“But until the union leadership and executive is united in what it wants and engages in good faith with the 30 per cent shortfall in revenue the industry is continuing to grapple with post-Covid, it is difficult to move forward.

“Sadly our staff, our customers and the communities across the country which rely on a thriving railway are the ones that are suffering as a result.”

What does the federal government say?

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport stated: “The RMT leadership’s decision to call strikes targeting two iconic international sporting events, as children and families begin their summer holidays, will disrupt people’s plans across the country.

“After a year of industrial action, passengers and rail workers alike are growing tired of union bosses playing politics with their lives.

“It’s high time the union leaders realised that strikes no longer have the impact they once did and are simply driving people away from the railway.”

I’ve a ticket booked for a day hit by industrial action. What can I do?

Passengers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets can have their ticket refunded with no charge if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.

Train operators are possible to supply flexibility to journey on a variety of non-strike days.

Passengers with season tickets who don’t journey can declare compensation for the strike dates by way of Delay Repay.

What are the options?

As all the time, long-distance coach operators – National Express, Megabus and Flixbus – will preserve working, although seats have gotten scarce and fares are rising.