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Thursday 6 Oct 2022

Severely limited trains at Birmingham New Street during RMT strike

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: Central

• Passengers should only travel if absolutely necessary during RMT strike action this Saturday 8 October
• A special timetable will be in place with only nine 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 on Saturday 8 October are being warned not to get caught out with trains finishing much earlier than normal.

Only nine 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 Saturday evening.

People are once again being advised to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary 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.

Rail travellers 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.

Network Rail will also be carrying out essential work on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October to the railway track in Beechwood Tunnel on the West Coast main line near Berkswell, between Coventry and Birmingham International.

The work will include replacing track and is needed to maintain the 110mph speed limit through the tunnel and keep trains running safely and on time.

Rail replacement buses will keep people moving between Birmingham International and Coventry stations but the work will bring significant changes to journeys*.

Martin Colmey, Network Rail’s Central route operations 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.

“The strike also coincides with our essential upgrades to the track inside Beechwood Tunnel between Birmingham International and Coventry to make sure we have a safe, high-performing line for passenger and freight services in future. Our advice is to please only travel if absolutely necessary on the strike day and during the upgrade work and if you must make a journey regularly check www.nationalrail.co.uk."

Passengers should also expect disruption on the morning of Sunday 9 October with a later start to services as employees return to duties.

Alongside the national strikes, industrial action will take place for some train operators on other parts of the rail network today and tomorrow (Thursday 6 & Friday 7 October), and Monday 10 October:

• Thursday 6 and Friday 7 October – strike action affecting East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express
• Monday 10 October – strike action affecting ScotRail.

For specific train operator service information, please visit National Rail or your train operating company.