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Commuters across Britain face another day of canceled or disrupted rail services on Saturday as drivers from 11 train companies go on strike.
Train operators urged people to travel only if necessary and to check before leaving, with no trains or only limited services running on the affected routes.
Most direct intercity trains on the main line from London to Scotland and Wales have been cancelled, with no services running on operators including Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Northern and Southeastern.
The latest strike by Aslef members comes as the union continues to poll members for another six months of possible strike action in a long-running dispute over pay.
Aslef general secretary, Mick Whelan, said most drivers, who are paid an average of £59,000 a year, had not received a raise since the start of the Covid pandemic.
He told the Guardian: “We still find ourselves over three years without a pay rise. And the employers are saying we can’t give you one without the government, and the government is saying you have to talk to the employer.
Drivers have called off a planned strike earlier Saturday at Arriva London, a company that operates the London Overground. Whelan said: “We’ve sorted it out there and in Scotland and Wales – [other cases seem] To be governed by Westminster.
Whelan is due to meet the new transport secretary, Mark Harper, next Wednesday, who expressed hope for success after meeting the RMT’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, on Thursday and pledging to “work for convenience” for the deal.
The Aslef leader said: “If it can break the deadlock and find a way forward, that’s good – but at the moment only the government can instruct companies to break the contracts they’ve entered into.”
The RMT has announced eight days of strike action in December and January and Asalef may announce more after a meeting on December 7. But Whalen said: “We’re not deliberately targeting Christmas – we recognize all the problems people are facing.”
Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at Rail Delivery Group, said: “The strike by Aslef brings further uncertainty for passengers and businesses by disrupting their weekend plans.
“While we will do all we can to minimize disruption. If you are going to be traveling on the affected routes, please plan ahead and check the latest travel advice on the National Rail Inquiry.
Meanwhile, around 3,000 bus drivers in London will go ahead with strike action next month, the United union has confirmed. Members employed by 950 at Metroline and Abellio will take seven days of action from December 1-17 over pay disputes.
Train operators and routes affected
Avanti West Cost: No service
Chiltern Railway: No service.
Crosscountry: No service.
East Midlands Railway: No service.
West Midland Railway/London Northwestern Railway: No service.
Heathrow Express: No service.
Northern: No service.
Southeast: No service.
Great Western Railway: Very limited service, 7.30am to 9.30am, between London and Bristol only; Reading and Oxford; and Reading and Basingstoke.
Greater Anglia: Very limited service, only between London Liverpool Street and Colchester; and Norwich and Southend. The Stansted Express will run one hourly between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.
London North Eastern Railway: Very limited service. Only one train each way between London and Leeds and four each way between London and Edinburgh.
Lumo: Trains will only run between Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Transpennine Express: Very limited service. four trains each way between York and Manchester; three each way between Manchester and Liverpool; Two trains each way between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.
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