Rail passengers around Britain face another day of widespread disruption on Saturday due to a strike by train drivers from seven operating companies.
The industrial action by members of the Aslef union represents the biggest strike by train drivers in decades and will halt services at some train operators.
Services affected include West Midlands Trains, which run to sports venues around Birmingham, the host city of the Commonwealth Games.
Rail officials accused the union of targeting its action on the opening weekend of both the Games and the new English football league season.
LNER intercity services, which run from London to Scotland via Leeds, will be significantly reduced. Great West services will be severely curtailed. All Heathrow Express trains are canceled and no GWR services will run west of Bristol to Wales.
A minimum of one Greater Anglia service and only one Hull Trains service in each direction will operate. There will be no trains running on the South East and most London Overground services will also stop.
Other train operators such as Southern and Thameslink have warned that services could be overcrowded and disrupted as passengers switch to alternative services.
Meanwhile, motoring organization the AA has issued an “amber alert”, warning that the train strikes will contribute to heavy rush hour road congestion, with more travel expected due to sporting events and holiday breaks.
Some rail disruptions are expected to persist into Sunday.
The drivers’ action is escalating a bitter pay dispute at the railway, and follows shortly after the latest national strike by members of the RMT union. Around 40,000 members of the RMT, including Network Rail signalmen and crew on board 14 train operators, went on strike on Wednesday.
Aslef is planning further strikes on August 13 and the RMT on August 18 and 20, when simultaneous industrial action by the TSSA union could reduce the number of emergency staff available, meaning there will still be less trains
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group said it was “very disappointed” the union was taking steps to disrupt the plans of millions of passengers, particularly those hoping to attend sporting events.
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The RDG urged passengers to plan ahead and check the latest travel advice, and said anyone with advance tickets could use them until Tuesday, exchange them or claim a refund.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “We regret the disruption caused. We understand that this is what happens when we take industrial action, but it is up to businesses to put it right.”
Whelan said the strikes were “a last resort” but many of his members had not had a pay rise for three years, despite working during the pandemic, and the high level of inflation meant they had taken a wage cut in real terms.