As the RMT takes further strike action this November, the rail industry is striving to keep a limited number of services available for passengers however it will not prevent needless and totally avoidable disruption for passengers.

Thousands of fully qualified and specially trained backup staff will be working whilst the industrial action is underway in order to maintain essential services for those who must travel. However, passengers are being warned that some areas in the country will have little to no rail services during the walkout.  The rail industry is asking passengers to only travel by train if it is completely necessary and if that is the case, to allow plenty of extra time, making sure to check the first and last train departure times.

As with earlier strikes, special timetables are set to be published on the following days:

• The timetable for Saturday the 5th of November will be published on the 1st of November
• The timetable for Monday the 7th of November will be published on the 3rd of November
• The timetable for Wednesday the 9th of November will be published on the 5th of November

Passengers are also advised of further disruption likely to occur in the early morning of the days following each strike as rail workers return to their duties on Sunday the 6th, Tuesday the 8th and Thursday the 10th of November.

The following rail operators will see walkouts by rail staff: Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast, South Western Railway, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Northern Trains, South Eastern, Transpennine Express, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).

Saturday the 5th of November will see no London North Eastern Railway (LNER) services in operation as industrial action coincides with engineering work.

Thursday the 10th of November will see London Underground and Overground services impacted by industrial action.

Passengers making their way to Cardiff for the Wales vs New Zealand Autumn International game on Saturday the 5th of November are being advised not to travel by train both to and from the match as both RMT and TSSA industrial action will see the majority of trains throughout the Wales and Borders network suspended. For further details, passengers are urged to check with their rail operator or via https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Union TSSA will be taking strike action on Network Rail which will take place on Saturday the 5th and Monday the 7th of November. This action comes alongside members of individual rail operating companies taking strike action and action short of strike on Friday the 4th, Saturday the 5th, Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th of November.

The rail companies affected by action short of strike action throughout the whole of November are South Western Rail, South Eastern, West Midlands Trains, Northern and Great Western.  From Monday the 7th of November TransPennine Express members will also join the action short of strike action. It is expected that on days with just TSSA taking action that disruption will be minimal.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “A fair and affordable two-year 8% deal, with heavily discounted travel and an improved offer of job security to January 2025, remains on the table and our team have had extensive conversations with RMT representatives around the terms of a deal. Unfortunately, the unions seem to believe the taxpayer should fund bigger pay rises and are more intent on more damaging strikes than working with us to compromise and agree a deal. That means there will be even more disruption for passengers over the next couple of weeks, starting next Saturday (5th), when we will again have to ask passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary.

“These strikes undermine the railway’s recovery from the pandemic and drive passengers away at a time when everyone involved in the railway should be focused on attracting more passengers and freight forwarders to the network, at the same time as building a railway fit for the future. We urge the unions to either allow their members to vote on our offer or come to the negotiating table with a genuine willingness to compromise and help find solutions to the challenges our industry is facing.”

Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We’re sorry that a decision was taken by the RMT leadership to impose further strike action which will bring widespread disruption for passengers and businesses, especially affecting families planning to attend the bonfire night celebrations. It is particularly disheartening that next weekend’s strike will hit the plans of thousands of rugby fans who are planning to travel to Cardiff for Wales v New Zealand. These damaging and unnecessary strikes not only disrupt passengers’ plans and undermine struggling businesses, but also harm the industry’s recovery with the June strikes costing the hospitality sector around half a billion pounds.

“Further strikes mean that more of our people lose pay and there is less money to fund a pay rise. We urge the unions to recognise that the railway industry is facing a very real financial challenge and work with us towards a fair deal that offers a pay rise and includes the long-overdue changes to the industry so that our services are more reliable, more affordable and inspire more passengers back on board.

“While we will do all that we can to minimise disruption if you are going to travel on the routes affected, please plan ahead and check the latest travel advice. Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strikes can use their ticket for travel the day before the date on the ticket or up to and including Friday 11th November. Passengers can also change their tickets to travel on an alternate date or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.”

Passenger’s who hold a season ticket or who an activated days’ worth of travel on a Flexi season ticket can opt not to travel on the 5th, 7th or 9th of November and are able to claim compensation for these days via the Delay Repay scheme.

Weekly Season Ticket holders are also able to make claims via the Delay Repay scheme if their train is either delayed or cancelled on the day of travel or if a ‘Do Not Travel’ warning has been actioned.

People who do need to travel during strike days and have already purchased a ticket should check via their rail operator ahead of travelling to get advice on the flexibility of their ticket.

Passengers are able to check via National Rail Enquiries or by visiting their rail operator’s website to check if the operator is impacted by this upcoming industrial action.