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Tuesday 26 Jul 2022

Severely reduced trains at Birmingham New Street during RMT strike

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: Central

• Passengers should only travel if necessary during RMT strike action this Wednesday 27 July
• A special timetable will be in place with only ten departures per hour from Birmingham New Street
• Many routes have no trains at all - those which do run will start later from 7:30am and finish by 6.30pm
• Passengers are reminded to plan ahead using National Rail Enquiries and to expect disruption

Passengers planning on travelling during RMT strike action tomorrow (Wednesday 27 July) are being warned not to get caught out with trains finishing much earlier than normal.

Only ten trains per hour will depart from the station - that's compared to an average of 40 departures an hour on a non strike weekday.

Birmingham New Street's last trains will leave between 3pm and 5pm with final arrivals by 6.30pm.

The station will close completely at 10pm on Wednesday evening.

People are once again being advised to only travel by rail if necessary tomorrow because of the continuing staff walkouts by RMT union members.

Passengers who still need to travel should check www.nationalrail.co.uk so they know exactly what to expect.

People can also check with their individual train operators through these links:

• Avanti West Coast’s information page
• West Midlands Railways' information page
• London Northwestern Railway's information page
• CrossCountry’s information page
• Transport for Wales’ information page

Network Rail is trying to give passengers the best service it possibly can but trains will be significantly reduced or not running at all on some routes.

Across the country, thousands of specially-trained and fully qualified back-up staff will again step in during the walkout to keep vital services running for those who need them.

But with only a fifth of services running, on around just half of the network, passengers are asked to only travel by train if they must, and if it is necessary, allow extra time and check when their last train will depart.

Passengers should also expect disruption on the morning of Thursday 28 July with a later start to services as employees return to duties.

Denise Wetton, Network Rail’s Central route director, said: “It’s hugely disappointing that we are facing another day of RMT strike action which will impact the entire network and cause disruption to passengers across the region on the eve of the Commonwealth Games. 

“Our advice is to only travel if necessary and regularly check National Rail Enquiries as the few services which will be running will finish early in the afternoon. Thankfully, a full service will be in operation for the opening ceremony on Thursday but again, always check before you travel for the latest information.”

Separately, train drivers' union Aslef has called strike action across seven train operators on Saturday 30 July that will significantly disrupt some routes, so passengers are asked to check their journeys before travelling over the weekend as well.

If passengers with an advance, off-peak or anytime ticket are affected by the strike on 27 or 30 July, they can use their ticket either on the day before the date on the ticket, or up to and including Tuesday 2 August.

Passengers can also change their tickets to travel on an alternate date, or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.

Those with a season ticket that is monthly or longer, or have an activated days’ worth of travel on a flexi season ticket who choose not to travel on 27 or 30 July, can claim compensation for these days through the delay repay scheme.

For all travel information, including reduced timetables as a result of strike action, see National Rail Enquiries.