Ahead of impending industrial action by the RMT union, West Midlands Railway (WMR) has issued a revised timetable for the period Sunday, 18th December to Monday, 2nd January 2023 inclusive.

The industrial action by the RMT union for a ban on overtime, and is not a full strike. However, it will still cause disruption to services throughout the period, and there may be changes to trains or cancellations at short notice.

Changes to services will be as follows:

• On Friday, 16th and Saturday, 17th December, a reduced service will operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm on certain routes, whilst there will be no service at all on other routes.
• On Sunday, 18th December, a limited service will operate.
• On Christmas Eve, 24th December, services will run until 4pm.
• On Christmas Day and Boxing Day, 25th and 26th December, there will be no West Midlands Railway service on any route.
• On New Year’s Day, Sunday, 1st January 2023, a limited service will operate.

As well as the RMT action detailed above, the TSSA union has announced it plans to stage strike action on Wednesday, 28th December and Thursday, 29th December. The effect of this action on West Midlands Railway services is currently being assessed.

Jonny Wiseman, West Midlands Railway customer experience director, said: “I am sorry that our passengers’ journeys will continue to be affected by industrial action during the Christmas period. We expect services to be busier across the rail network as a result of other train operators also being affected by industrial action.

“Our advice to passengers is to prepare for disruption across the Christmas period and check journeys carefully before travelling, as trains may be subject to short-notice changes.

“Anyone whose train is cancelled as a result of industrial action can claim a full refund from their point of purchase or travel on an alternative date.”

The latest information of the effect of the industrial action on West Midlands Railway services is available online at www.wmr.uk/industrialaction