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There will be numerous instances of canceled trains and delayed journeys throughout the rest of the year due to train drivers going on strike, a shortage of staff, and ongoing engineering work.
On Friday, December 1st, train operators who are members of the Aslef union will start a nine-day period without working overtime.
The next day, train drivers initiate a succession of strikes that rotate through various regions of the country on different days. The objective is to create major disturbances while each driver only loses one day’s salary.
Travel plans that require using multiple train companies or traveling through different regions during the week of strikes may be challenging.
Until the start of the New Year, journeys may be disrupted due to planned engineering work and a shortage of staff at certain train operators, even without any industrial action.
Travelers in northern England, specifically those on the main lines for East Midlands Railway and East Coast, will experience significant impacts.
On November 18th and 19th, the primary train route from Leeds to London will be closed between Leeds and Doncaster. There will be no train service to or from Wakefield Westgate and travel time for trips between Leeds and London will be extended.
The upcoming weekend, on November 26th and 27th, the East Coast main line, linking London King’s Cross to Yorkshire, northeast England, and Scotland, will be closed between Doncaster and York for what Network Rail refers to as “improving reliability”.
There will be a reduced number of Anglo-Scottish trains running and travel duration will be longer by approximately one hour due to trains being redirected through Leeds.
During the remaining days of November, the main line of East Midlands Railway, which runs from Sheffield, Derby, and Leicester to London St Pancras, will be closed on Sundays south of Leicester for the purpose of electrification construction.
Train service disruptions will be at their highest during the first weekend of December due to a combination of train driver strikes and significant engineering projects.
Starting on Friday, December 1st, the Aslef overtime ban will result in cancellations.
The upcoming Saturday, December 2nd, will see LNER and East Midlands Railway as the primary operators on the East Coast main line, with expectations for minimal services from both.
On Sunday, December 3rd, traveling from north to south may be difficult due to potential chaos. The majority of trains on the West Coast main line, which links London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales, and southern Scotland, will not be running due to the Aslef strike.
For many people, the usual option would be to take LNER on the East Coast main line. However, due to scheduled engineering work by Network Rail, the line will be completely shut down south of St Neots in Cambridgeshire. As a substitute, buses will be available between St Neots and Bedford, where commuters can then catch a regular Thameslink train to London.
However, Aslef has decided to make December 3rd their primary day for striking, also including train drivers from Thameslink. The recommendation for travelers will most likely be to avoid traveling on this day.
The ongoing and contentious disagreement between the primary railway labor unions and the 14 train companies under the control of the Department for Transport (DfT) started in the summer of 2022. Both parties remain significantly divided.
The RMT union is currently at odds with the rail companies. In the previous year, the RMT engaged in protests during the holiday season, with five strikes lasting multiple days between December 13th and January 7th. However, the union is now conducting a vote among its members for an enhanced pay offer without any conditions, and it is anticipated to be approved.
Beginning on the weekend of December 9th and 10th, Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express will begin implementing wholesale train cancellations in an effort to prevent last-minute disruptions.
Starting from 9 December, there will be a decrease in the number of trains running between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly on Avanti West Coast, from three to two per hour. Furthermore, weekday reductions will also occur on other routes.
Avanti West Coast apologizes for any inconvenience caused and assures passengers that this is a temporary measure.
The frequency of TransPennine Express trains between Manchester and Leeds will decrease from four per hour in both directions to three. The fastest trip between Liverpool and Newcastle will take an additional 22 minutes. Services from Liverpool to Hull will now originate in Manchester.
The train company has announced that the reductions will be in effect for one year. Starting in December 2024, they anticipate significant and dependable growth in their services.
Engineering work during the holiday season will begin impacting travelers on Saturday, December 23rd, as certain lines will be shut down.
From December 24th to 27th, there will be a significant closure between London Paddington and Ealing Broadway due to construction at Old Oak Common for the HS2 project. This will result in no Heathrow Express trains running and the Elizabeth Line being disrupted between the two stations.
The Great Western railway line will be fully closed, and intercity services by GWR from South Wales and the West of England will only run between Reading.
The East Coast main line will have London King’s Cross closed on Christmas Eve, so the trains on December 23rd will probably be very full. The section between York and Darlington will also be closed on December 24th.
Passengers of South Western Railway and CrossCountry will experience disruptions as the main Southampton Airport-Southampton-Bournemouth line will be closed from December 24 to December 29. The London-Portsmouth line will also be affected, with the closure between Guildford and Petersfield from December 30 to January 1.
During the period of 23 December to 1 January, Southeastern trains traveling to and from London Victoria station will have their starting and ending points at either Cannon Street or Blackfriars.
The railway track connecting Manchester and Preston will be closed on December 30th and 31st.
Other closures include:
- Leeds-Wakefield on 24 December
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From December 27th to January 1st, there is a flight available from Stansted Airport to Cambridge.
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From 27 December to 1 January, the Shenfield-Witham route will be closed, causing disruption to the main Greater Anglia line connecting London and Norwich.
Source: independent.co.uk
