Birmingham faces ongoing strike disruptions, affecting rail services and local residents’ daily lives as tensions rise.
Birmingham: This weekend, the Midlands is bracing for more strike chaos. Train managers are walking out, causing disruptions on busy rail routes. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union members at Avanti West Coast are set to strike on Sundays due to a dispute over rest day working.
Avanti is advising passengers to travel on other days since the strikes will continue every Sunday until May 25. On strike days, there will be a reduced timetable, meaning fewer trains will be running during limited hours.
This is just the latest in a series of strikes affecting Birmingham residents. Taxpayers are already dealing with a 20% council tax hike over two years, and now there’s a bins strike on top of everything. Plus, train managers had already staged strikes before Christmas and New Year.
Passengers should expect busy trains on Sundays. With engineering works planned, the timetable may change, and it could take longer to finalize details.
On strike Sundays, Avanti West Coast will run one train an hour between London Euston and Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Preston. A limited service will also be available between Glasgow and Carlisle.
Rail replacement buses will operate between Carlisle and Preston due to the engineering work. The first train of the day will leave Euston after 8 am, and the last one will depart before 5 pm.
Unfortunately, this reduced timetable means no Avanti West Coast services for places like North Wales, Blackpool, and Edinburgh. Some areas in the Lake District will also miss out on service on January 12 due to the engineering work.
Avanti is urging customers to plan ahead and check their last train home. Kathryn O’Brien, the executive director of customer experience at Avanti West Coast, expressed disappointment over the extended strike action, especially during a busy time for travelers.
She thanked customers for their patience and understanding, emphasizing that those with tickets for strike days should consider traveling on different dates or claiming a full fee-free refund. Avanti remains open to discussions with the RMT to resolve the ongoing dispute.
