New dates announced for latest rail strikes

More train strikes have been announced for next month, a move which could affect travel to and from the London Marathon as well as the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

Members of the ASLEF Union working for 12 different train operating companies will strike on Saturday 1 October and again on Wednesday 5 October.

The new dates were unveiled after a strike planned for last week was called off as a mark of respect to the Queen.

Drivers previously took strike action on July 30 and August 13.

Mick Whelan, general secretary, said: “We would much rather not be in this position. We don’t want to go on strike – withdrawing our labour, although a fundamental human right, is always a last resort for this trade union – but the train companies have been determined to force our hand.”

Drivers will be on strike at 12 companies:
Avanti West Coast
Chiltern Railways
CrossCountry
Greater Anglia
Great Western Railway
Hull Trains
LNER
London Overground
Northern Trains
Southeastern
TransPennine Express
West Midlands Trains
Aslef says that train drivers who kept the country moving through the pandemic have not had a pay increase since 2019 and is asking for pay which keeps pace with the cost of living.