Rail strike and engineering work dates: Northampton trains disrupted on nine days in August due to walkouts and HS2

Industrial action means no services on Saturday with more to come
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Rail passengers on Northampton trains will be hit by disruption on nine days out of 17 days through a combination of strikes and engineering work.

Industrial action of drivers means there will be no trains at all from Castle station on Saturday (August 13).

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Strike-day timetables will again operate on Thursday (August 18) and Saturday (August 20) as managers, signallers and station staff from the RMT union stage two more walkouts.

Train passengers trying to get between Northampton and London face disruption on nine out of 17 days from Saturday (August 13)Train passengers trying to get between Northampton and London face disruption on nine out of 17 days from Saturday (August 13)
Train passengers trying to get between Northampton and London face disruption on nine out of 17 days from Saturday (August 13)

Operator London Northwestern Railway warns the strikes will have knock-on effects on early morning services on each of the following days due to trains being in the incorrect place overnight.

National Rail has confirmed HS2 work will bring three more days of disruption on the line to London Euston over the bank holiday weekend.

Saturday's action is the second one-day walkout by members of the ASLEF union affecting up to nine train companies including West Midlands Trains, London Northwestern’s parent company.

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London Northwestern customer experience director Jonny Wiseman said: “It is disappointing that our customers will continue to be impacted this month due to ongoing industrial action and I am urging passengers to check their journeys in advance.

“On Saturday we will not be able to run any services at all and we are advising passengers not to travel.

“Passengers holding tickets purchased in advance can travel on an alternative date or receive a full refund.”

East Midlands Railway, which operates from Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough, is not affected by the ASLEF dispute. A spokesman said its services will run normally on Saturday but are expected to be very busy.

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Limited services will run between London, Northampton and Birmingham and also from Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough between 7.30am and 6.30pm only on both RMT strike days.

Amended timetables will also operate on August 19 and early-morning services on August 21 may be disrupted.

HS2 piling works at London Euston means a reduced frequency service and longer journey times between Northampton and London on all three days over the bank holiday weekend.

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines told passengers to check the National Rail Enquiries website before travelling, but added: “I’m pleased to say the vast majority of the railway will be open for business as usual this bank holiday, so passengers can rely on us to get them where they need to go as they make the most of their summers.”

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Ahead of last month’s ASLEF drivers walkout, general secretary Mick Whelan said the union did not want to inconvenience passengers but has been “forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Tory government”.

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He added: “With inflation running at north of 10 percent that means those drivers have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years.

“We want an increase in line with the cost of living. We want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021.”

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, said the strikes showed a “cynical approach to talks, a total disregard for passengers and is putting everyone's summer plans at risk”.