Planned rail strikes

West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway will be running a significantly reduced service on Saturdays for the rest of 2019, due to industrial action by members of the RMT Union.

A series of 24hr strikes are currently planned for all Saturdays from 16 November to 28 December 2019 inclusive, although affected dates could change or be cancelled at the last minute, so check your journey with your train operator before you travel.

On strike days there will be fewer trains running, some stations will not be served and some services will finish earlier than normal. This Saturday, West Midlands Railway tickets will be accepted on West Midlands Metro services and National Express bus services.

More information and advice is available at networkwm.com/railstrike.

Key travel advice

You can still get where you need to go, but please check before you travel and allow more time for your journey.

• Plan ahead: strike day timetables will be available a few days ahead, but could change at short notice. Plan your journey based on current information but remember to check it again before you travel with National Rail Enquiries or your train operator. (West Midlands Railway timetable for this Saturday is now online)
• Leave more time for journeys: Other train companies are due to run a normal Saturday service but will be busier than usual. Don’t aim for the last train home, get there early and expect to queue.
• Stick to public transport: The West Midlands Metro and West Midlands bus networks are a good alternative to local train journeys. This Saturday, West Midlands Railway tickets will be accepted on West Midlands Metro services and National Express bus services.
• If you’re planning to go Christmas shopping or visit a Christmas Market: consider travelling going earlier in the day. The busiest time to travel will be between 3pm and 4pm.
• Avoid driving into Birmingham city centre: car parks and the roads around them get extremely busy. If you absolutely must drive, central car parks are likely to be full by lunch time on a Saturday, but there are usually spaces available in Snow Hill, Milennium Point and Jewellery Quarter multi-storeys and at Broadway Plaza (Five Ways). Find a council car park.

More at networkwm.com/railstrike.

Article posted 14 November 2019