Network Rail said it had “no real hope” of avoiding the biggest rail strike in 30 years next week, as it told passengers to plan ahead and travel only if necessary.
The full schedule will be released on Friday, but operators including Southern, Northern, TransPennine and Transport for Wales have already told passengers not to try to travel on strike days.
Network Rail has confirmed that much of the UK will not have passenger services on strike days, including places like Penzance in Cornwall, Bournemouth in Dorset, all of Wales west or north of Cardiff, and no passenger trains north of Glasgow or Edinburgh.
With reserve signaling staff, about 20% of trains will run on main lines and urban areas on strike days – June 21, 23 and 25 – while services will start later in the morning, with about 60% of the schedule in the coming days. .
Network Rail CEO Andrew Haynes described the strike of 40,000 RMT workers as “high-stakes gambling” by unions, saying it would cost the industry £ 150m and make wage increases more difficult.
Haynes said the modernization proposals to increase safety and productivity meet “intolerance … even when conditions are clearly anachronistic”.
He said talks would continue, but added: “We have not yet seen a movement that gives us real hope.”
RMT called for direct talks with the government, saying it was “clear that the finance ministry is doing everything”.
Mick Lynch, RMT’s secretary general, wrote to Transport Secretary Grant Schaps to ask for an emergency meeting, saying: “In practice, the union has been negotiating with the government in recent weeks, but the government has not been in the room. ”
The last meeting between the unions and the government was with the Minister of Railways, Wendy Morton, in March.
Labor has accused the government of “neglecting obligations” for failing to negotiate a strike. Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Hay said it was “frankly extraordinary” and wrote to Shaps, urging him to convene urgent talks.
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The number of passenger services on strike days is expected to be limited to around 4,500, compared to the usual 20,000.
The last lines between London and Scotland will depart until 14:00, while most intercity trains in England will depart in the middle of the afternoon.
Steve Montgomery, chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “These strikes will affect millions of people who use the train every day, including key workers, students with exams, those who can’t work from home, holidaymakers and important business people. and entertainment events.
“When working with Network Rail, our plan is to maintain as many services as possible, but significant disruptions will be inevitable and some parts of the network will be out of service, so passengers should plan their trips carefully and check train times.”
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