Passengers should prepare for significant disruptions on Avanti West Coast routes this Sunday and every Sunday until May 25.
London: Passengers are in for a rough ride this Sunday. Avanti West Coast is warning of major disruptions on its rail routes every Sunday until May 25. The train managers, part of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), are kicking off a walkout campaign starting January 12. This is all about a dispute over rest day working.
So, what’s the deal for this Sunday? Well, expect a much-reduced timetable with fewer trains running during limited hours. Here’s what you can look forward to: Avanti will only run one train an hour between London Euston and Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Preston. There will also be a limited service between Glasgow and Carlisle, but rail replacement buses will be in action between Carlisle and Preston due to some planned engineering work.
Trains will be operating on a tight schedule, with the first train leaving Euston after 8 am and the last one before 5 pm. Unfortunately, if you’re in North Wales, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Stoke-on-Trent, or even parts of the Lake District, you won’t find any Avanti services running due to the engineering work.
Looking ahead, every Sunday until May 25 will see this reduced timetable in effect. Avanti has also mentioned that many of these strike days will overlap with planned engineering works, so the exact timetable might change and take a bit longer to finalize.
Avanti is urging customers to avoid traveling on Sundays if they can. If you must travel, they recommend planning ahead and checking the details of your last train home. Kathryn O’Brien, Avanti’s executive director of customer experience, expressed disappointment over the RMT’s decision to strike, especially since many customers might be trying to visit family or enjoy a day out.
She thanked passengers for their patience and understanding, noting that on strike days, services will be limited. Customers with tickets for those days are encouraged to consider alternative travel dates or claim a full fee-free refund. Avanti is still open to discussions with the RMT to resolve the situation.
On the flip side, the RMT has made it clear that their members have rejected Avanti’s latest offers. They believe sustained strike action is necessary to push management towards a negotiated settlement. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch, who recently announced his retirement, stated that Avanti created this dispute by ignoring the concerns of train managers and offering proposals that were deemed unacceptable.
He emphasized that the company needs to come up with a better proposal to avoid further strikes into 2025.
