Train services grind to a halt as second strike this week takes place
Members of the Aslef and RMT unions have walked out as part of separate pay disputes
Last updated 3rd Feb 2023
Rail passengers are facing a fresh day of travel chaos because of another strike by train drivers which will leave large parts of the country with no services all day.
Members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
Rail operators warned of severe disruption, with trains that do run due to start later and finish much earlier than usual - typically between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
It is likely that Saturday morning services on some lines will be affected because rolling stock will not be in the right depots.
The rail industry said it was working hard to keep as many trains running and criticised the rejection of an offer which would give drivers an 8% pay rise over two years, taking average salaries up from nearly £60,000 a year, to almost £65,000.
Simon Weller, assistant general secretary of Aslef, said the dispute was going "backwards" because of the lack of progress in months of talks.
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said: "Having made an initial offer which would have taken average driver salaries from £60,000 to nearly £65,000, we had hoped the Aslef leadership would engage constructively to move talks forward, rather than staging more unnecessary strikes. We can only apologise for the disruption.
"To minimise the impact of the Aslef action, we advise passengers to check before they travel, allow extra time and find out when their first and last train will depart."
It will be the second strike by train drivers this week, after they took part in the huge day of industrial action on Wednesday, which also involved teachers, university staff, civil servants, bus drivers and security guards.
Around 1,900 members of Unite working as bus drivers for Abellio in London will complete a three-day strike on Friday in a separate dispute over pay.
DISRUPTION ROUNDUP
Avanti West Coast
No trains will operate.
c2c
Services will be unaffected.
Caledonian Sleeper
Services will be unaffected.
Chiltern Railways
No trains will operate.
CrossCountry
No trains will operate.
East Midlands Railway
No trains will operate.
Elizabeth line
Services will be unaffected.
Gatwick Express
No trains will operate.
Grand Central
Services will be unaffected.
Great Northern
No trains will operate.
Great Western Railway
An extremely limited service will operate, and only between 7.30am and 7.30pm.
The only routes served by trains will be: Between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads; between Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff; between Reading and Basingstoke, Oxford and Redhill; between Swindon and Westbury; between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth and Paignton; between Plymouth and Gunnislake; and between Penzance and St Ives.
Greater Anglia
A very limited service will operate with one train per hour in each direction between London Liverpool Street and each of Norwich, Colchester, Cambridge and Southend Victoria.
Services will start from 8am and finish earlier than usual.
No other routes will be served by trains.
Heathrow Express
No trains will operate.
Hull Trains
Services will be unaffected.
London North Eastern Railway
An extremely limited timetable will operate.
It will run just five trains in each direction between London King's Cross and Edinburgh, with a handful of other services.
London Northwestern Railway
No trains will operate.
London Overground
Services will be unaffected.
Lumo
Services will be unaffected.
Merseyrail
Services will be unaffected.
Northern
No trains will operate.
ScotRail
Services will be unaffected.
South Western Railway
No trains will operate on the Isle of Wight.
South Western Railway intended to run a full service on the mainland but said it was "reviewing our plans" after suffering disruption during a similar walkout on Wednesday when drivers not part of the strike refused to cross picket lines.
Southeastern
No trains will operate.
Southern
No trains will operate.
Stansted Express
One train per hour will run in each direction between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.
Thameslink
No trains will operate.
TransPennine Express
No trains will operate.
Transport for Wales
Services will be unaffected.
West Midlands Railway
No trains will operate.