The finishing touches are being made to a special railway timetable that will be in operation across England, Scotland and Wales from Monday 20th to Sunday 26th June (inclusive).
The special timetable, to be published on Friday 17th June 2022, aims to offer the best service possible for passengers and freight users despite the unwarranted industrial action planned next week by the RMT union.
Thousands of specially trained and fully qualified back-up staff will step-in during the planned RMT walk-outs on 21st June, 23rd and 25th to keep vital services running, but as they are a fraction of the usual workforce, only a severely limited service will be available.
Only around half of Britain’s rail network will be open on strike days with a very limited service running on lines that will only be open from around 7.30am until 6.30pm.
Passengers who must travel are urged to plan ahead to ensure that they can complete their journeys within this window, with last services from London to Scotland, for example, leaving in the early afternoon.
On the days that follow the strikes (22nd, 24th and 26th June) the whole network will reopen but passengers should also expect disruption on these days as the strike days chosen have been designed to inflict as much disruption as possible, with not enough time between the strike days to fully recover to a normal service.
Further information for passengers is available on the National Rail website.
The special timetable will also ensure key freight services can continue to move around the country, minimising disruption for consumers and businesses and allowing vital goods to continue to be shipped where needed.
Jane Gratton, Head of People Policy at British Chambers for Commerce, said: “Access to efficient and reliable rail services is vital for business and we are very concerned about the impact of this disruption. It will place additional pressures on businesses at a time when they are facing rising cost pressures, and when many are still struggling to recover from the pandemic.
“The shift to more flexible working practices, particularly remote and hybrid working, has boosted resilience for some firms as their teams will be able to adapt to the disruption more easily.
“But for other firms, commuters and the visitor economy, this is a very difficult time and we need a solution quickly. Looking ahead, businesses are calling for more investment in rail to improve connectivity, capacity and reliability and to provide a modern, more flexible service for customers.”
"Access to efficient and reliable rail services is vital for business and we are very concerned about the impact of this disruption."
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