Great Western Railway is advising its customers of strike action taking place this Friday, the 1st of September and Saturday, the 2nd of September.

The industrial action is being taken by unions ASLEF and RMT and means that the rail operator will be running a significantly altered timetable. The action being taken will also impact several rail operators across the country, who will also be using revised timetables.

Customers of Great Western Railway who are planning to travel during the strike action are advised to plan their travel ahead and check prior to making a journey, including any onward travel with other rail operators.

The strike action is set to bring extreme disruption brought to the Great Western Railway network with some routes set to see no service at all! Services that can run on the 1st and 2nd of September will see later start times and earlier finish times than usual.

Passengers making their way to or from the Speedway Grand Prix in Cardiff this Saturday the 2nd of September should be aware that no Great Western Railway train services will be operating on Saturday evenings. Customers attending the event are advised to use alternative travel options to make their way home.

Passengers who are also heading to Cardiff for the Cardiff 10km on Sunday the 3rd of September are also advised to check travel time ahead of leaving for their journey, especially those travelling a long distance.

Trains that are able to run on the Great Western Railway network during the industrial action are expected to be extremely busy due to the reduced frequency of trains in operation and it is likely that other rail operators will experience this same issue.

Please note that rail replacement bus services will not be available.

Customers who have already purchased tickets for travel over the strike period and opt not to travel can get a full refund or alter their tickets. Passengers travelling through the strike action are eligible for Delay Repay compensation should a service be delayed by 15 minutes or more.

Great Western Railway is also supporting customers who hold tickets for the strike days by validating tickets for use on alternate days as follows:

• Tickets for Friday, the 1st of September can be used the day before or up to and including Tuesday the 5th of September
• Tickets for Saturday the 2nd of September can be used on Thursday the 31st of August or up to and including Tuesday the 5th of September

Customers who hold season tickets can apply for compensation via Delay Repay, as the rail operator’s refund policy remains in place during the strike action.

Customers who hold a return ticket will be able to claim a refund for the full unused fare, even if just one part of the journey is impacted.

To find out the latest information about how the planned strike action will impact travel with Great Western Railway, please click here.