Train strikes - live: Labour spokesman defies Starmer to join picket as Brits warned not to travel after 6.30pm

Travellers warned to complete journeys by 6.30pm

Ahead of rush-hour, Brits have been warned to complete journeys befopre 6.30pm this evening.

Network Rail has issued a reminder to passengers that there is a “very limited service” running today.

The transport body tweeted: “You will need to complete your journey by 18.30 so please check your last train”.

Helen Coffey27 July 2022 15:25

Unions condemn Shapps for ‘attack on fundamental right to strike'

Unions have reacted with anger to proposals by the Transport Secretary to crack down on strikes amid the long-running rail dispute.

Grant Shapps set out a series of plans in a newspaper interview, including stopping co-ordinated industrial action, limiting picketing and having a cooling-off period after strikes.

He told the Daily Telegraph: “I’m looking at banning strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period. We should also place an absolute limit of six pickets at points of critical national infrastructure, irrespective of the number of unions involved, and outlaw intimidatory language.

“Ballot papers should also set out clearly the specific reason for industrial action and the form of action to be taken. In addition, before strike dates are announced, employers should have the right to respond to the issue cited on the ballot paper.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “If Grant Shapps had his way we would all still be in the workhouse.

“His intervention is just the latest in a growing list of political attacks on trade unions and the most fundamental rights held by working people.

“Whilst this outbreak is clearly framed by a fashion parade within the Conservative Party, it is also deeply serious and shows just how out of touch our political class are.”

Last train to London has left Edinburgh

With Network Rail operating very constrained hours with non-union signallers and management, those trains that are running on an RMT strike day are limited to 7.30am-6.30pm.

As a result, some “last trains” are extremely early.

The final direct LNER service from Edinburgh Waverley to London King's Cross departed at 12.30pm. Passengers who missed it could travel on the 1.05pm with a change of train at York. But now that has left, the next southbound service at 3.30pm runs only as far Doncaster – where passengers must wait for 13 hours before the first morning train to London.

The last train from anywhere iin Scotland to London departed Lockerbie at 1.20pm – the final stop north of the border for the Avanti West Coast train from Glasgow to Euston, due in at 5.32pm.

Avanti train on the West Coast Mainline

(STUART WALKER )

Simon Calder27 July 2022 13:41

Actor Rob Delaney joins Mick Lynch on picket line

Catastrophe star Rob Delaney has posted a photo of himself at an RMT picket line with the union’s general secretary Mick Lynch.

”2 nice men wondering if you’d care to join them at the picket,” wrote Delaney.

Labour MP Dawn Butler, shadow transport minister Sam Tarry and SNP MP for the Glasgow South West, Chris Stephens, have also posted on social media about joining transport workers at the picket line.

Lucy Thackray27 July 2022 13:20

Northwest locals stranded as Arriva Bus strike coincides with rail walkout

As nationwide rail strikes take out some 80 per cent of UK train services, some residents in the northwest are also struggling to travel by bus.

Staff from bus operator Arriva North West, which serves Merseyside, Manchester and surrounds, are entering a seventh day of consecutive strike action.

A statement on the company’s website reads: “We are disappointed for all our customers to confirm that the strike will be continuing into next week, with no date yet for services being resumed.

“We remain committed to getting our drivers back to work and buses back on the road as soon as possible. We once again ask the union to call off the action and let our people vote on the latest 8.5 per cent pay offer.”

Today Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson weighed in on the row, saying Arriva “can afford a fair rate of pay”.

In an open letter to the company, she wrote: “Currently, the majority of our residents are facing a cost-of-living crisis that means without decent pay, they will fall sharply into in-work poverty. Your workforce is also facing this tsunami of rising costs and you must take some responsibility for their well-being.”

She continued: “We know that Arriva can afford a fair rate of pay. Arriva’s parent company DB Group saw revenue rise by 18.4% in 2021 to 47.5 billion Euros. Arriva is making it very clear that they are choosing to prioritise profits over supporting their hard-working workforce that connect our communities.”

Lucy Thackray27 July 2022 12:49

Jeremy Corbyn joins rail workers at Euston picket line

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has joined striking rail workers at Euston station, along with John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, and the RMT union’s assistant general secretary Eddie Dempsey.

“Great to join Eddie Dempsey, @johnmcdonnellMP and members of @IslingtonNorth on the @RMTunion picket line at Euston this morning to show my support for striking rail workers! #SupportRailWorkers,” he wrote on Twitter.

Lucy Thackray27 July 2022 12:41

Government trying to impose ‘massive cuts’, says RMT’s Mick Lynch

RMT secretary-general Mick Lynch has accused transport secretary Grant Shapps of planning to impose massive cuts on the rail network.

In an interview this morning he told GB News: “He wants massive cuts when he wanted the railway workers to keep working and put themselves in a place of danger.

“Now he’s using Covid and the effects of Covid as a reason to cut back on the railways, cut £2bn worth of funding from the National Rail, and he’s cutting £2bn from London Underground. In effect that’s causing massive disruption.

“And it’s that funding cut that he’s responsible for that is causing these disputes. If we can get back to a proper funding level, and he allows the companies to negotiate properly, we will get a settlement of this dispute, but he’s got the key.”

Helen Coffey27 July 2022 11:24

All the train strike dates happening this summer

The summer of travel discontent continues, with train strikes this week and more planned for August aimed at causing maximum disruption.

The industrial action involves different unions on different dates, meaning different lines and networks are affected.

Here’s every train and Tube staff walkout we know about so far:

Helen Coffey27 July 2022 10:39

Can I get a refund if my train is cancelled due to the rail strikes?

Yes. If your scheduled train service is cancelled by the operator, you are entitled to either:

It doesn’t matter what type of ticket you purchased.

Even if your train isn’t cancelled, you may decide not to travel on a strike day due to the risk of disruption. If this is the case, Network Rail has confirmed you will also be able to claim a refund or change your journey time free of charge. “If you have purchased an Advance, Off-Peak or Anytime ticket and choose not to travel, you will be eligible for a change or refund from the original retailer of your ticket,” it explains on its website.

Read our full guide to rail compensation here:

Lucy Thackray27 July 2022 10:15

Rail plan: government must explain its decisions, says senior Tory MP

The Transport Select Committee’s latest report, The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands, has been published on the same day as the latest national rail strike.

The all-party committee criticises the government’s lack of clarity on decisions to remove Leeds from HS2 and to exclude Bradford from its trans-Pennine plans.

The Tory chair of the committee, Huw Merriman, said: “Many towns and cities are already disappointed by the proposals which have been set out.

“The prime minister promised that he would, with Northern Powerhouse Rail, do for the North what he did for Londoners with Crossrail. Instead, much of the track will be an upgrade of existing line.

“The business case of HS2 was based on it going east to Leeds. Now, it stops in the East Midlands without any understanding of how much money is saved. Those we spoke to from the cities of Leeds and Bradford, in particular, do not recognise that the finalised plans meet either the promises they believe were made or the prime minister’s stated aims.

“For these cities, and the taxpayer as a whole, the government must demonstrate the rationale for its decisions. An investment of this substantial sum must be based on the best evidence and the best value for money.

“We ask government to revisit the evidence base for the decisions they have reached.”

Simon Calder27 July 2022 09:26

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