Travelers will be told not to travel by train next week, as the entire network will be crippled by the biggest strike in more than 30 years.
A big announcement on Wednesday expected train companies to urge people to avoid all travel on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, as services will be drastically reduced.
Network Rail is set to set a new schedule, with services reduced by 80 percent, and to announce that all trips will have to be completed by 6:30 p.m.
Southeastern, one of the UK’s largest railway operators, has already written to passengers asking them to avoid traveling on strike days because most of its routes and stations will be closed, while the c2c rail will advise passengers to travel “only if necessary”.
South Western Railway bosses were still “talking live” about their plans Tuesday night, but will likely ask passengers to avoid the trip. Other operators are expected to make similar announcements.
This will force schools and hospitals to urgently consider how they can continue to operate, at the risk of returning to online lessons and canceling non-emergency medical appointments.
Industry sources said Tuesday night that train companies had come under significant pressure from ministers to avoid “don’t travel” because Grant Shaps, the transport minister, “does not want to give in to unions.”
They are called upon to maintain the services where possible. However, sources said: “We will have to tell them not to travel, because if we have people who show up normally at stations who expect to get on a train, we will have a big problem.
“It is completely dangerous to run trains during a strike”
Union sources said the entire network would have to be shut down during the strike for security reasons. They described the proposals for as much as 20 percent of the service as “optimistic” and said it was “completely dangerous to run any trains” because of the huge number of safety-critical employees on strike.
This comes as thousands of railway workers will be voted on for strikes that could strike in July.
The Transport Employees’ Association (TSSA) has issued a notice to more than 6,000 Network Rail employees in a dispute over pay, working conditions and security. In the event of a “yes” vote, the strike could take place from 25 July.
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