Great Western Railway is warning customers that due to industrial action by driver’s union ASLEF on Thursday the 7th of December, there will be significant disruption to its rail services.

The impact of the strike action will mean that some parts of the rail operator’s network will be with no service at all, including Bath Spa, affecting those heading to the city’s popular Christmas market by train with customers advised to use alternative transport.

Due to the industrial action, the rail operator is advising customers to travel either before Thursday the 7th of December or after. The Great Western Railway services which are able to run will only see extremely limited service with less frequency than usual and are expected to be very busy.

Trains services which are in operation during the strike action will see later starts and finishes earlier than usual, those travelling are therefore advised to check the time of the last train of the day.

During the industrial action on Thursday the 7th of December:

• No rail replacement bus services will be operated.
• No trains will run to Bath Spa with customers heading to the Bath Christmas Market advised to use alternative transport.
• Bus operator First West of England will be running services in the Bath area but is expecting services to be extremely busy due to the strike, especially on D1, D2, D2x and 39/39x. Those travelling by bus have been advised to leave plenty of extra time to make their journeys.

Great Western Railway is allowing rail tickets purchased for strike days to be used on different dates as follows:

• Tickets from Saturday the 2nd of December to Friday the 8th of December are able to be used the day prior or up to and including Tuesday the 12th of December.

Strike action by ASLEF will also affect other rail operators and therefore onward travel will also be impacted.

Great Western Railway services which will be offering extremely limited services will be on routes between:

• London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads (not calling at Bath)
• London and Oxford
• Reading and Basingstoke
• Reading and Redhill (peak time only)
• Reading and Newbury (peak time only)
• Westbury and Swindon (peak time only)
• Cardiff and Bristol Temple Meads
• Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple (peak time only)
• Exeter St Davids and Exmouth (calling at Exeter Central, Digby and Topsham only)
• Plymouth and Gunnislake
• Penzance and St Ives

The Night Riviera sleeper is also cancelled, however, this is due to planned engineering works.

Customers who plan to travel on any of the above routes are strongly advised to check their travel plans ahead of making a journey.

Great Western Railway and other rail operators across the country will also be affected by action short of a strike which will continue up to and including Saturday the 9th of December and could lead to some short-notice service alterations and cancellations.

Customers making their way to Bath for the Christmas Market or to the Premiership Rugby match between Bath and Ulster on Saturday the 9th of December are being warned that train services will be very busy and to expect significant queuing to board trains. The use of alternative transport to attend either of the events has been advised, or where possible attend Bath on a different day.