UK rail strikes: how will you be affected?

Drivers will be walking out for two days this week

Author: Jon BurkePublished 31st Jan 2023

Britain's train services will be decimated by strike action on two days this week, the first being tomorrow.

Train driver members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out tomorrow and Friday, in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Here is a breakdown of each operator's plan for strike days:

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Lumo

Services will be unaffected.

  • Merseyrail

Services will be unaffected.

  • Northern

No trains will operate.

  • ScotRail

Services will be unaffected.

  • South Western Railway

The operator intends to run a full service on the mainland but there will be no trains on the Isle of Wight.

  • 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.

If your favourite music icons are the Spice Girls and your favourite Ks are Kylie and the Kardashians, you need heat Radio in your life! heat Radio is portable, so you can listen to us on the move. Simply download our app from your phone’s app store, listen online at heatradio.com and at heatworld.com. We’re on all the smart speakers too, just say “play heat Radio".