Rail strikes are to go ahead after last-ditch talks failed to resolve a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. Thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at Network Rail and 13 train operators will walk out on Tuesday (June 21), Thursday (June 23) and Saturday (June 25) in the biggest outbreak of industrial action on the railways for a generation.
Services across the UK will start to be affected from this evening, with just one in five trains running on strike days, primarily on main lines and only for around 11 hours. Talks were held as late as this afternoon but the sides remain deadlocked over a deal.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, said: “No strike is inevitable until the moment it begins, but sadly disruption tomorrow is guaranteed so we’re asking passengers to plan ahead and only travel by train if necessary. We continue to talk to the RMT and urge them to work with us to find a solution that works for rail workers and taxpayers, and avoids causing further disruption for our passengers.”
READ MORE: Rail strikes will go ahead after resolution talks break down
Steve Montgomery, Chair of the Rail Delivery Group, added: "These strikes will affect the millions of people who use the train each day, including key workers, students with exams, those who cannot work from home, holidaymakers and those attending important business and leisure events. Working with Network Rail, our plan is to keep as many services running as possible, but significant disruption will be inevitable and some parts of the network will not have a service, so passengers should plan their journeys carefully and check their train times."
All operators who run services through Greater Manchester will be affected by these strikes, with all issuing advice on what to do if you had already planned travel. Many are accepting tickets for the strike days on different days this week, or allowing a full refund. Here's everything you need to know.
For a map of the passenger services running this week, visit here.
What each Greater Manchester operator says
Avanti West Coast
A statement on their website says: "We strongly advise to only travel by rail if necessary on strike days, as we’ll be operating a significantly reduced timetable, with trains that are running being very busy, and no bus replacement services."
One train will be running per hour on strike days from Euston to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston, with a limited service onwards to Glasgow. These trains will operate during limited hours, with the first train of the day departing Euston just before 8am and the last train of the day from Euston departing mid-afternoon. Trains will not be calling at Stockport or Macclesfield.
They are advising customers to travel early saying that anyone with existing tickets for travel from Tuesday 21 June to Sunday 26 June can use those tickets anytime between now and Monday 27 June. No changes to your ticket in order to travel early. If you have a ticket booked for this week with Avanti West Coast, but just want to amend the date, visit here.
How to claim a refund
Customers with tickets valid from tomorrow until Sunday can claim a full refund with no admin fees from their point of purchase. If a ticket was bought from the Avanti West Coast website or app a full refund can be claimed here: https://railhelp.co.uk/avantiwestcoast/refunds.
If the ticket was bought from an app or website, such as Trainline, a refund will need to be claimed through their app/website. Alternatively, if a ticket was bought from a station, head back there with your ticket for a full refund with no admin fee.
An advance ticket can also be exchanged for a voucher, valid for 12 months up until 30 September 2022. Visit the refunds page and choose ‘I have an Advance ticket’ to find out how to request a voucher.
For more information and a revised timetable for Avanti West Coast services, visit here.
CrossCountry
On strike days CrossCountry should run one train per hour from Manchester. However, the service will stop in Southampton, rather than Bournemouth, and will not stop at Stockport, Macclesfield or Stoke-on-Trent.
Customers with Anytime, Off-Peak or Advance tickets dated June 21, June 23 or June 25 are permitted to travel the day before and up to two days after the date on their ticket. You will need to travel at a similar time to your original ticket, following any time restrictions associated with it.
How to claim a refund
For advance tickets purchased with CrossCountry using our website or Train Tickets app tickets can be amended without paying a £10.00 admin fee. However, advance tickets are non-refundable unless the service purchased is cancelled.
Tickets can be exchanged for Rail Travel Vouchers, which are valid for 12 months from the date of issue by emailing customer.relations@crosscountrytrains.co.uk. To apply for a refund contact the CrossCountry support team here.
Revised timetables can be found on the CrossCountry website here.
Northern
People are being advised 'not to travel' by Northern this week due to the strikes as services will be suspended “on most routes” during strike days, and there will be a “significant impact” on non-strike days.
Some services will run a limited timetable on June 21, 23 and 25, which can be found on the Northern website here.
How to claim a refund
All refund requests must be made within 28 days of the ticket expiry date, and if you have a physical ticket this will need to be returned to the ticket retailer in order to obtain a refund. A fee free refund can be claimed if you do not choose to travel this week.
If the ticket was bought from an app or website, such as Trainline, a refund will need to be claimed through their app/website. If the ticket was bought through Northern visit here on how to claim a refund.
TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express (TPE) is asking customers to 'plan carefully ahead' with the strikes this week. For a timetable on the Manchester Airport to Preston and Manchester Piccadilly to York route, visit here.
A statement on their website says: "Whilst we will try to run as many of our planned services as possible, we understand that this may cause you concern. Your ticket will be valid for travel on the previous day or the next two days following any strike action. If you choose not to travel at all, you will be entitled to a full refund."
How to claim a refund
TPE says if you choose not to use your ticket and return it to where you bought it from they you will be entitled to a full refund. TPE will not charge you an administration fee for this.
To get the refund, unused tickets should be returned to where they were purchased from. If you purchased your ticket directly with TPE, you can apply for a refund either online tpexpress.co.uk/help/refunds or by calling our customer relations team 0345 600 1671.
Transport for Wales
The majority of lines will be closed on strike days, with reduced frequencies on those that remain open. No TfW services will be running from Manchester on strike days.
How to claim a refund
Customers with existing non-season tickets valid for travel from Tuesday 21 June to Saturday 25 June can use those tickets anytime between Monday 20 June and Tuesday 28 June. Alternatively, customers can claim a full refund for tickets to travel between these dates with no admin fee charged. Season ticket holders can apply for a 2 hour delay compensation via Delay Repay. For full refund information, and who to contact, visit https://tfw.wales/help-and-contact/rail/refunds.
East Midlands Railway
The usual EMR service between Norwich and Liverpool Lime Street, which runs through Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport, will not be operating this full route on strike days. The service will only be running between Nottingham and Sheffield.
How to claim a refund
If you purchased your ticket from EMR online, you can apply for your refund. Apply for your refund here. If you purchased your ticket from an EMR station, please return to the station within 28 days of the travel date for a refund.
If you purchased your ticket from another provider, you will need to approach them directly.
Alternatives for travel in Greater Manchester
On the strike dates, Manchester Piccadilly rail station will only be open from 7am to 7pm. However, Metrolink services will operate as normal with varied access being implemented during the strike.
Meanwhile, Stockport rail station will be closed on each of the three strike days, with commuters being unable to access or pass through the station, respectively. Transport for Greater Manchester has advised commuters to use Greek Street/King Street West instead as the underpass at Stockport will be unavailable.
Will the trams be running?
Transport for Greater Manchester has announced that some tram services will operate at different times due to the strike.
Services between Altrincham and Timperley will only operate from 7am to 7pm on the strike dates with a 12-minute frequency. The services will operate as follows:
- 6am to 7am - Piccadilly to Timperley only
- 7am to 7pm - Altrincham to Bury (every 12 minutes) and Piccadilly to Timperley (every 12 minutes)
- 7pm to midnight - Piccadilly to Timperley only
A replacement bus service will be operating between Timperley and Altrincham before 7am and 7pm.
On the three strike dates, Picadilly's tram stop located at the rail station will only be open 7am to 7pm. While the Metrolink will operate as normal, access to the Picadilly tram stop will change.
Commuters will only be able to access the stop via the walkway adjacent to the taxi pick up point on Fairfield Street, with level access to the Manchester bound platform and the Ashton bound platform via the track crossing next to Fairfield street.
Will buses be running?
Bus services will operate normally during the strike. Transport for Greater Manchester announced that no ticket acceptance will be in place during the strike - a separate bus ticket for the journey will need to be bought.
Here are some alternative routes suggested by Transport for Greater Manchester:
Hazel Grove Park and Ride - Stockport
The 192 service departs at Macclesfield Road / Hazel Grove Park & Ride (Stop D) and takes less than hour to Manchester City Centre. This service runs every 10 minutes.
Guided Busway Leigh Park and Ride - Leigh
The V1 service departs from Leigh Bus Station and takes 45 minutes to Manchester City Centre. This service runs every 20 minutes.
Guided Busway Tyldesley Park and Ride - Tyldesley
The V1 and V2 services depart at Mosley Common, Guideway / near Sale Lane and take under 40 minutes to Manchester City Centre. Both services run every 10 minutes.
Guided Busway Wardley Park and Ride - East Lancs
The V1 and V2 services depart Roe Green, East Lancs Road / Park & Ride (Stop C) bus stop and take under 25 minutes to Manchester City Centre. Both services run every 10 minutes.
Parking around Manchester during the strikes
TfGM expects congestion around Greater Manchester to be worse than usual due to the strikes as fewer people are likely to use public transport. Because of this, it is encouraging people to use park and ride sites in Greater Manchester where commuters can leave their car for part of their journey and use the tram into the city centre.
Here's a list of some of the largest Park and Ride sites all across Greater Manchester:
Derker - 235 spaces
East Didsbury - 278 spaces
Hazel Grove - 400 spaces
Oldham - 238 spaces
Radcliffe - 480 spaces
Rochdale - 202 spaces
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