Northern railways at virtual standstill as rail staff go on strike
Members of the Aslef union are walking out in a dispute over pay
Last updated 15th Apr 2024
Rail passenger across the north of the UK are being hit by travel chaos as railway workers take industrial action in a dispute over pay.
Members of the Aslef trade union that work at six companies have stopped working on Saturday (April 6th), leaving many areas with little to no services.
Northern Rail, TransPennine Express and Chiltern services are not running any trains on Saturday, with Great Western Railway and LNER running on a reduced timetable.
LNER said that it would be planning to run 35 services between London and Edinburgh via West Yorkshire, whilst in London - the Heathrow Express will cease services before 7:25 a.m. or after 7 p.m.
The union's industrial action follows similar steps taken by workers for Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway, CrossCountry and London NorthWestern - that had brought the country to a standstill.
This is the second day of a weekend of train disruption, with more services to be affected in the South East of England by a strike on Monday (April 8).
It comes amid the 22-month long industrial action being brought by the Aslef union, who estimates that the strikes have cost an extra £2bn to the economy. However, the union says this is a "fraction" of what would resolve the dispute.
As well as the pay dispute, a ban on overtime over this weekend for 16 train companies across the country is also causing problems for rail passengers.
Speaking on the strike, general secretary of the Aslef union Mick Whelan hit out at the government for not respecting the negotiations.
"We've done 17 pay deals in the last 12 months across all sectors, nations and regions - freight, open-access, Elizabeth line, and Tube," he said.
"And yet we only have a problem with one place and the place we have a problem with is the Westminster Government, who are interfering with our pay deals with the private companies we work for."
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport responded saying: ""Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer that remains on the table.
"Having resolved disputes with all other rail unions, the Transport Secretary and rail minister have ensured that a pay offer is on the table - taking train drivers' average salaries from £60,000 up to £65,000."