York: Aslef union strikes to hit passengers this week

Walkouts and a nine-day overtime ban have been announced by the drivers’ union Aslef.

It means some train operators will be unable to run any services and cancellations are likely at short notice.

Union members will stage a series of one-day strikes across 17 train operators between Saturday (December 2) and Friday, December 8, as well as an overtime ban across all train companies from Friday (December 1) to Saturday, December 9.

York railway station (Image: Dylan Connell)

A walkout will take place at York-based LNER, which operates services on the East Coast Main Line, on Saturday (December 2).

During the walkout, a spokesperson for the operator said LNER will run a reduced timetable between Edinburgh and London and Leeds and London.

The following day (Sunday, December 3) they said planned engineering work means there will be no trains to or from London King’s Cross.

York railway station (Image: Dylan Connell)

Bus replacements are in place for essential travel, but the spokesperson warned that journeys to the station are estimated to take an additional two hours.

Walkouts will take place at Avanti West Coast, which operates services from York to London King’s Cross, on Sunday, December 3.

The operator has warned that it will run no services during the strike.

Union members at CrossCountry will walk out on Wednesday, December 6.

The operator, which runs services from York to cities including Birmingham and Bristol, has warned that no services will run during the strike.

On Friday, December 8, union members at Northern, which operates services between York and Leeds, and CrossCountry, which runs trains from York to cities including Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, and to Malton and Scarborough, will walk out.

CrossCountry and Northern say they will run no services during the strike.

It is likely that services on some lines will be affected on the evening before and morning after each strike because rolling stock will not be in the right depots.

Passengers have been urged to plan ahead and check when their first and last train will depart.

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A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group said the industrial action called by the Aslef leadership was “unnecessary and avoidable” and “targeted to disrupt customers and businesses ahead of the vital festive period”.

They said Aslef’s leadership was “blocking a fair and affordable offer made by the industry in the spring that would take average driver base salaries for a four-day week from £60,000 to nearly £65,000”.

“We urge them to put it to its members, give Christmas back to our customers and end this damaging industrial dispute,” they added.

But Mick Whelan, ASLEF’s general secretary, said the union has received “overwhelming mandates, on enormous turnouts, for more industrial action” since the offer was made.

Mick Whelan, ASLEF’s general secretary (Image: James Manning/PA Wire)

“We are determined to win this dispute and get a significant pay rise for train drivers who have not had an increase since 2019 while the cost of living, in that time, has soared,” he said.