Southern strike: trains cancelled as RMT rail workers walk out
London to Guildford and Brighton lines affected as safety row rages on
8 January
UK rail strikes: commuters face week of chaos
Thousands of commuters face a week of travel chaos, with three days of strikes planned across five rail operators.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at South Western Railway (SWR), Arriva Rail North (Northern), Merseyrail and Greater Anglia are staging 24-hour walkouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Sky News says.
The strikes, which will mainly affect services on SWR, “coincide with a 24-hour walkout by employees at Southern Rail on Monday”, reports the London Evening Standard.
SWR passengers are likely to be worst hit. The operator anticipates cancelling at least 450 trains a day - a quarter of its service. Greater Anglia says it plans to run a full service despite the disruption. Southern, today facing its 39th RMT strike, plans to run a normal service on most routes, although there will be some alterations, including a limited service on the West London Line during peak times.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the dispute was not about safety and that employees had been guaranteed jobs and salaries for several years.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Week Unwrapped: Are we any closer to identifying UFOs?
Podcast Plus, will deals with Tunisia and Kurdistan help Labour? And what next for the Wagner Group?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 16 - 22 November
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures Firing shells, burning ballots, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Health care workers stage massive walkout in U.K. over low wages
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Border Force strike may see airports close this Christmas
Speed Read More than 10,000 flights are expected to land at the affected airports over strike days
By Jamie Timson Published
-
National nursing strike: should the patient ‘always come first’?
Talking Point Recent YouGov poll found that 65% of public approves of strike action
By The Week Staff Published
-
Setback for Sturgeon as rubbish piles up in Edinburgh
Talking Point Mounds of litter have taken over city streets due to strike by refuse workers
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Why do we have it in for prime ministers’ wives?’
Instant Opinion Your digest of analysis from the British and international press
By The best columns Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published