Media centre

Tuesday 1 Nov 2022

Rail passengers urged to only travel if absolutely necessary during forthcoming industrial action

Region & Route:

Wales & Western

| Wales & Western: Western

Due to further coordinated strike action by the RMT, TSSA and Unite trades unions on Saturday 5, Monday 7 and Wednesday 9 November, Network Rail is asking passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary, expect widespread disruption and to plan ahead.

• Varying strike action by the RMT, TSSA and Unite trades unions across Network Rail and selected train operators will result in another period of disruption for rail passengers, starting Saturday 5 November
• On strike days an extremely limited service – roughly only 20% of services – will operate between 07.30 and 18.30; first trains will start later, and the last trains will leave much earlier
• Passengers attending the Wales vs New Zealand rugby union game at the Principality Stadium on Saturday 5 November are told to not travel by train
• Disruption should also be expected in the morning of the day after each strike – Sunday 6, Tuesday 8 and Thursday 10 November – as the railway recovers from the previous day’s strikes. Action short of a strike by the TSSA on Friday 4, Sunday 6 and Tuesday 8 November will also impact train services.

On strike days across Network Rail’s Western route – which covers the railway and towns and communities between Penzance and London Paddington – passengers should expect an extremely limited service with no CrossCountry trains running and no services south west of Weston-super-Mare, including the whole of Devon and Cornwall. Heathrow Express will operate four trains per hour between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.

A very limited GWR service will run on the following routes between:

• London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads
• London Paddington and Cardiff Central
• London Paddington and Oxford
• Reading and Basingstoke
• Oxford and Didcot Parkway
• Cardiff Central and Westbury via Bristol Parkway
• Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare
• Branch lines serving Windsor, Marlow and Henley-on-Thames (Henley-on-Thames not served on Saturday 5 November)

For the latest information on GWR services including ticket acceptance and how to claim a refund, please visit https://www.gwr.com/strike

Saturday 5 November - Wales vs New Zealand international rugby union

Passengers travelling to attend the Wales vs New Zealand rugby union test match at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday 5 November are urged not to travel in or out of Cardiff by train.

Up to 35,000 people typically travel into Cardiff by train for international rugby matches, with more than 20,000 getting a return home. Due to the strike action, inbound capacity by rail in the hours leading up to kick-off (15.15) will be heavily reduced - two thirds lower than usual – and there will be no trains scheduled from Cardiff after the match, with the final service departing from Cardiff Central before 5pm.

With severe restrictions on the train network due to strike action, all those travelling via road are advised to leave plenty of time to travel and use park & ride facilities at CCFC Stadium in Leckwith, or County Hall in Cardiff Bay, as city centre road closures will be in place.

Sunday 6 November – launch of next phase of Elizabeth line services

From Sunday 6 November, the lines from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels of the Elizabeth line – further transforming rail travel across London and opening up new direct journeys across the capital.

Customers travelling from Reading and Heathrow will have access to direct services to Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood, with services travelling beyond London Paddington.

Customers travelling from Shenfield will have access to direct services to five new central London Elizabeth line stations (Liverpool St, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Rd, Bond St, Paddington), with services travelling beyond London Liverpool Street.

Access to all Elizabeth line destinations, including to Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf, can be made by changing trains at Whitechapel.

Whilst this is not on a strike day, services will start later than usual and passengers are encouraged to check on the TfL website for the latest timetable information during the week of strike action.

Network Rail’s interim Western route director, David Davidson, said: "I would like to sincerely apologise to passengers for another period of disruption owing to this latest strike action.

“Our message to passengers is clear – please only travel if absolutely necessary. For those passengers who must travel by train during time, please expect severe disruption, plan ahead and check the time of your last train home.

“Please continue to check with your train operator on the services they are running or visit the National Rail Enquiries website for more information.”