When are the next train strikes? How Avanti West Coast strike action affects passengers

‘Sustained strike action is now the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement’ – Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union

London Euston station on the first day of the Avanti West Coast train managers’ strike, 31 December 2024 (Simon Calder)

Rail strikes are back with a vengeance. Passengers on Avanti West Coast face months of disruption, which began on 31 December and is set to continue until the late May bank holiday weekend.

Train managers working for the West Coast main line operator and who belong to the RMT union walked out on New Year’s Eve. They will also strike on Thursday 2 January and then every Sunday between 12 January and 25 May.

The plan is to stop work on a total of 21 days, disrupting the plans of up to 100,000 passengers for each of the chosen dates.

These are the key questions and answers.

Avanti West Coast: what routes does it operate?

The main network covers around 700 miles of track. It centres on the West Coast main line to and from London Euston. The main cities served are:

• Birmingham
• Manchester
• Liverpool
• Glasgow

Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh are among the other cities on the network.

In addition, Avanti West Coast runs along the North Wales coast, connecting Crewe with the port of Holyhead.

What is the dispute about?

Payments to train managers for working on their rest days.

RMT members say they are poorly rewarded compared with the sums earned by “management train managers”. These are senior managers employed in desk-based roles for Avanti West Coast, who have been trained to stand in as train managers when essential to keep trains running.

The union says management train managers earn upwards of £300. For comparison, train drivers employed by Avanti earn a flat £600 for working on a day off.

An improved offer from the rail firm was put to union members. Train managers have been offered around £250 for each eight-hour shift worked on a rest day, or £300 at weekends. But in a referendum they resoundingly rejected it; seven out of 10 of all those eligible to vote were in favour of walking out.

An RMT spokesperson said: “Sustained strike action is now the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement with the union.”

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said ahead of the New Year’s Eve strike: “Avanti West Coast created this dispute by ignoring train managers’ concerns and presenting offers those members deemed unacceptable.

“The company must come forward with a revised proposal so we can avoid more strike action further into 2025.”

What does Avanti West Coast say?

Kathryn O’Brien, executive director of Customer Experience at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re disappointed by the RMT calling strike action on 31 December and 2 January. Our customers will face significantly disrupted journeys as a result, and I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.

“On the two strike days we’ll have a significantly reduced service, so customers with tickets for 31 December or 2 January 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.”

What does the government say?

After the strike call, a Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said: “This is incredibly disappointing news for passengers who would have been hoping to leave strike action in 2024.”

The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has put the ball firmly in the rail firm’s court. She told Sky News: “What I want to see happen is for the leadership of Avanti West Coast, which is currently a privately owned train operating company, to get back round the table with the RMT to see what can be done to avoid action happening.”

In other words, offer more cash. Ultimately, though, extra payments would be funded by the taxpayer.

What is the effect?

A significantly reduced timetable is in place on the first two strike days, 31 December and 2 January – with fewer services running during limited operating hours. The first train of the day departed Euston at 7.43am and the last train of the day will leave before 5pm.

Management train managers are deployed to run these trains. But most of the coming wave of strikes coincide with Network Rail engineering work with diversions on some days. Management train managers may not have sufficient route knowledge to operate on these temporary roads.

On Tuesday 31 December, Avanti West Coast is running one train per hour between Euston and each of Birmingham, Manchester, and Preston with a limited services to Glasgow. One train every other hour between Liverpool and Crewe will also run.

On Thursday 2 January, the intercity operator will run one train per hour between Euston and each of Wolverhampton (via Birmingham), Crewe and Manchester. There will also be a limited service between Glasgow and Preston.

North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh will have no Avanti West Coast services on strike days. On 31 December, there are no Avanti West Coast trains to or from Macclesfield. On 2 January, there will be no Avanti West Coast service to or from Warrington Bank Quay or Wigan North Western.

“With fewer services running during shorter hours of operation, trains are expected to be busy, and customers are strongly advised to travel either side of the strike days,” says Avanti West Coast.

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

Passengers with existing tickets for 31 December and 2 January can travel any time up to and including Saturday 4 January. Alternatively, if customers who booked tickets to travel on either side of the strike days before industrial action was announced (17 December) would rather not travel, they can claim a full, fee-free refund from their point of purchase.

Thousands of football fans planning to go to away games will be unable to travel by train.

On Sunday 12 January, for example, Manchester United supporters will encounter problems travelling to Arsenal’s north London ground for the FA Cup third round fixture, while Stockport County fans will find it difficult to reach Crystal Palace in south London.

The following Sunday, Everton host Spurs and Manchester United play Brighton at Old Trafford.

Later in the month, the 26 January strike will coincide with the closure of the East Coast main line from Edinburgh via Newcastle and York to London King’s Cross, meaning both Anglo-Scottish routes will be out of action for the day.

Wasn’t the government going to end rail strikes?

Yes. The first Labour transport secretary, Louise Haigh, vowed to “focus relentlessly” on improving performance on the railways and introduce “much-needed rail reform”.

Train drivers, who had been in a pay dispute for two years, received a 15 per cent settlement – covering three years – and ended their dispute. Since then Ms Haigh has since been replaced by Heidi Alexander.

The DfT spokesperson said: “As part of our plans to reform the railways, we’re determined to move towards a seven-day working week and end the over-reliance on rest day working, giving passengers the certainty and reliability they deserve.”

The RMT, meanwhile, has the stated objective to “work for the supersession of the capitalist system by a socialistic order of society”.

Shouldn’t Avanti West Coast and other train firms just employ more staff?

If any rail firm increased its workforce to cover all possible shortfalls caused by illness, annual leave and training requirements, many of those staff would be under-employed for much of the year.

Rail finances are in a terrible mess, with taxpayers currently paying a subsidy of £12.5bn annually, equivalent to £400 per second, to keep the trains running. Unless revenue can rise substantially – which is unlikely given the continuing unreliability of trains – it is more likely that jobs will be cut than increased.

One rail insider said they were “baffled” by the dispute, adding: “There’s no shortage of volunteer train managers at the current rates of pay. So obviously ‘the market’ can’t see a problem.”

Anything else for rail passengers to worry about?

Also on 31 December on London’s Elizabeth Line, RMT members working in the control room will stage a 24-hour strike on the main east-west route through the capital, beginning at 9pm on New Year’s Eve.

Several other RMT disputes are in progress. Votes in favour of strike action have been passed in disputes on Boxing Day payments for service control staff on London Underground and on annual leave entitlement for Avanti West Coast train managers based at Holyhead.