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Tuesday 26 Jul 2022

Severely reduced trains at Manchester Piccadilly during RMT strike

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

• Passengers should only travel if necessary during RMT strike action this Wednesday 27 July
• A special timetable will be in place with only six trains per hour leaving Manchester Piccadilly
• 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 through Manchester Piccadilly station during RMT strike action tomorrow (Wednesday 27 July) are being warned not to get caught out with trains finishing much earlier than normal.

Only six trains per hour will depart from the station - that's compared to an average of 30 departures an hour on a non strike day.

Nationally only 20% of trains will be running on around 50% of the railway network.

Manchester Piccadilly's last trains will leave between 3pm and 5pm with last arrivals by 6.30pm.

The station will close its doors completely at 7pm 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
• Northern’s information page
• TransPennine Express’ information page
• CrossCountry’s information page
• East Midlands Railway’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.

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

Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “With a fraction of the usual workforce available, including signallers who safely move trains around the network there will be a severely limited service during RMT strike action tomorrow (27^th July). Many North West routes won’t be served at all, once again pointlessly causing misery for millions of rail passengers.

“I can only apologise for the impact another RMT strike will have on people’s lives, especially those travelling for holidays or attending events such as the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 semi-final in Milton Keynes (Wednesday 27^th) and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (Thursday 28^th). It is frustrating to yet again ask our passengers to change their plans and only make essential journeys.”

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.

Passengers 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. Further information is on the National Rail website.

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