With the next round of train strikes having been announced by ASLEF, the Train Drivers Union, passengers are being reminded to check their services before they travel between Thursday 4 and Tuesday 9 April.

The strike due to start next week, will see trains across the UK from 16 different rail companies run a reduced service, or no services at all, on selected days across the six-day period.

In addition to this, an overtime ban will also be in place on Thursday 4th, Friday 5th, Saturday 6th, Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th of the strike, meaning some services especially in the early mornings and late evenings may be amended or even cancelled at short notice.

Train Operating Companies (TOCs) will be doing their utmost best, to run as many trains as possible to reduced timetables starting later in the morning from 07:30 and finishing earlier in the evenings at 18:30, on several lines across the UK throughout the industrial action.

The strikes will be staggered between different TOCs in that different regions will be going on strike on different days, meaning there could be the possibility of at least one train company still running trains at major stations which serve more than one train company, but at smaller stations, there may be no trains at all.

Members of ASLEF will go on strike on the following days:

• On Friday 5 April No Trains will run on: Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, and CrossCountry 
•  On Saturday 6 April, No Trains will run on: Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Express  
•  On Monday 8 April, No Trains will run on: c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR’s Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern (including Gatwick Express) Southeastern, South Western Railway, and London Underground
•  On the remaining days, trains will be running: To heavily reduced timetables and services between 7:30 am and 6:30 pm

Make sure you check the status of your train before you travel over the course during next week’s strike action.

It is also to be important to realise that the services that may run at the start and end of a strike day, might be subject to delays and cancellations as the drivers and the trains may not be in the right places to start the services.     

We are sorry that this round of strikes called by the ASLEF leadership risk disrupting journeys. While we are doing all we can to keep trains running and we will work with our industry partners to keep as many trains running as possible, unfortunately, there will be reduced services between Thursday 4 April to Tuesday 9 April. Our advice is to check before you travel and follow the latest travel information.”   

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group,

Amendments to Ticketing  

Customers that have already bought Advanced, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets which now cover the strike days from Friday 5 to Monday 8 April, will still be able to use their tickets, as they will be valid at any time on trains operating between Thursday 4 April to Wednesday 10 April. This only applies to tickets that were bought before 20 March, so do check the date and time stamp on your ticket as it may still be valid for use on other services on other days.

If you have an Advance ticket for a specific train on a strike day that is not cancelled, delayed or amended and you prefer not to travel, contact your local ticket retailer to inquire about available options.

Those who have purchased two advanced tickets to form an outward and return journey might be able to appeal for a refund or a change of journey, should any portion of a journey become incomplete, or either one or both of the journeys cannot be undertaken. Customers are advised to consult with their ticket retailer.

Passengers who hold a season ticket, that is either flexi, monthly or longer and who decide not to travel will be able to claim a 100% refund using the Delay Repay compensation scheme. This will apply on the strike days of the train operating company that your season ticket is valid with.

Additional information on travelling during or over the industrial action can be found at National Rail Enquiries or your local train operator’s website.