Wednesday’s tube strike is followed by rail strikes on Thursday and Saturday with more planned later in March and April
Tube and rail passengers in Enfield are set to endure weeks of disruption from striking workers between now and the start of April.
The latest set of strikes called by trade unions representing public transport workers begins with a London Underground walkout tomorrow (Wednesday) and will mean severe disruption on the Piccadilly Line throughout the day.
The industrial action from RMT and ASLEF union members means “limited or no service” is expected across the whole tube network. Elizabeth line and London Overground services will be much busier than normal, while tube services will also start later and may be disrupted throughout the morning on Thursday, 16th March.
Glynn Barton, TfL’s chief operating officer, said: “I apologise to our customers for any disruption caused by Wednesday’s industrial action. I urge the trade unions to call off this action and continue to engage with us to avoid disruption to our customers.”
RMT boss Mick Lynch wrote to London mayor Sadiq Khan on Wednesday and said: “In advance of our strike action on these disputes in November 2022, my union made the offer to London Underground management to suspend our strike action in return for a moratorium on job cuts and changes to agreements on working conditions and an assurance that attacks on our pensions would cease.
“This offer was refused outright by London Underground management.”
Thursday (16th) as well as Saturday 18th, Thursday 30th and Saturday 1st April sees a different set of rail workers taking strike action, resulting in disruption to national rail services. The walkout is being staged by RMT union members working for operators including Greater Anglia, Great Northern and Thameslink.
Greater Anglia will not run any services to Liverpool Street along the Hertford East branch line on Thursday, but will run trains to Stratford. On the 18th, 30th and 1st, services will operate between 7am and 11pm, with all last trains reaching their destination by 11pm. Some routes will have a reduced frequency, but many routes will have a “normal or near normal service” during the hours that trains are running.
Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “We are very sorry that once again our customers will be disrupted by strikes. We’re able to run a reduced service on some routes on 16th March and far more services, but still not a full service, on 18th, 30th March and 1st April, so customers are advised to check before they travel on strike days.
“The rail industry is working hard to resolve these disputes and talks will continue with RMT to try and reach an agreement.”
Great Northern has said it will still operate two trains per hour on the Hertford Loop Line through Enfield on Thursday and Saturday, while two Thameslink trains per hour will stop at New Southgate.
Rail operator Govia has however warned that “where services are operating, passengers should expect disruption, longer waiting times and busy trains” on Great Northern and Thameslink routes. Additionally, services will start later on the days after the strikes.
Jenny Saunders, customer services director at Govia, said: “We’re really sorry for the inconvenience this RMT union action will once again cause our customers. With only a limited service running, starting later and finishing earlier than usual, I must advise customers to check for their specific journey details, as there’ll be lots of variations from station to station.
“I truly appreciate how hard this is going to be for our customers. These national strikes are terrible for everyone and are the last thing anyone wants as we try to regrow the railway after the pandemic.”
Great Northern and Thameslink have not yet confirmed their service levels for 30th March and 1st April.
For more information about how the strike action affects local rail services:
Visit greateranglia.co.uk/strikes
Visit greatnorthernrail.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/industrial-action
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