RMT weekend strikes to hit Avanti West Coast passengers

The first of a series of weekend strikes by train managers on busy rail routes starts on Sunday, causing disruption to services.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Avanti West Coast will launch a number of Sunday walkouts in a dispute over rest day working.

Avanti urged its customers to travel either side of Sunday, which marks the start of strike action every Sunday until May 25.

A reduced timetable will be in place on the strike days, with fewer services running during limited operating hours.

Action

Trains which will run are expected to be busy. With planned engineering works taking place on most of these Sundays, timetables for each strike date may vary and take longer to be finalised.

On Sunday, Avanti West Coast will run one train an hour between London Euston and each of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Preston.

A limited service will operate between Glasgow and Carlisle. In addition, rail replacement buses will run between Carlisle and Preston due to planned engineering work.

These trains will operate during limited hours – with the first train of the day departing Euston after 8am and the last train of the day from Euston departing before 5pm.

The significantly reduced timetable will mean north Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh, Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield will have no Avanti West Coast services.

Lancaster and destinations in the Lake District (Oxenholme and Penrith) will not be served by Avanti West Coast on January 12 due to planned engineering work.

Disruption

Customers who do travel should plan ahead, expect disruption, and check the details of their last train home, said Avanti.

Kathryn O’Brien, executive director of customer experience at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re disappointed by the RMT calling strike action for an extended period when our customers may be working, visiting family and friends, or enjoying days out.

“As a result, they will face significantly disrupted journeys during this time. I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.

“On the strike days we’ll have a reduced service, so customers with tickets for those days are strongly advised to travel on alternative dates or claim a full fee-free refund. We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “It is wrong that Avanti is paying replacement managers up to £500 per shift — around double what our members earn — while these managers fail to deliver the same service for passengers.

“This destructive approach is typical of train operating companies and stems from the failed policies of the previous Conservative government, which rewarded excessive payouts for managers rather than resolving disputes fairly.

“Avanti could make better use of its resources by reaching a fair settlement with our members, which would also be far more cost-effective.

“At the core of this issue is a severe staffing shortage, which has created an over-reliance on overtime in the first place.

“Avanti needs to table a revised offer that meets the aspirations of our members. We remain ready to negotiate and reach a fair deal.”