London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Trains hit by TSSA strikes

Transport networks across the UK face significant disruption this week as industrial action by members of the TSSA union impacts London Northwestern Railway (LNR) and West Midlands Trains (WMT). The strikes, stemming from a dispute over rest-day working arrangements, have forced a major reduction in services, leaving passengers to navigate a stripped-back timetable.

The industrial action is scheduled in two distinct phases. Roster clerks are set to walk out from 12.01am on Thursday until 12.01am on Friday, while duty train crew managers and control staff will take industrial action between 12pm on Friday and 12pm on Saturday.

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The impact on the network is widespread, with the operator confirming that no services will run on the Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley, or on the route between Stafford and Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent, throughout Friday and Saturday. Additional full service cancellations apply to all WMR routes via Birmingham Snow Hill, the Camp Hill Line, Nuneaton to Leamington Spa, Birmingham New Street to Hereford, and Birmingham New Street to Shrewsbury.

For other key routes, including services from Birmingham to Liverpool, London Euston to Crewe, Birmingham to London Euston via Northampton, Milton Keynes to London Euston, and Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey, frequency will be slashed to a single train per hour throughout Friday and Saturday.

Operational Constraints

The service reductions include early cut-off times, with no trains operating past 7pm on Friday. Departures are expected to conclude significantly earlier in many locations. The final service from London Euston to Crewe is scheduled to depart at 3.46pm. The last train from London Euston to Birmingham New Street leaves at 4.26pm, while the final service to Milton Keynes Central departs at 5.09pm. Saturday morning will see similar difficulties, with services not resuming until around 7am, effectively eliminating early morning travel.

LNR has issued warnings that service instability may extend into Sunday morning as rolling stock and crew members remain displaced by the preceding strikes. Customers holding tickets for affected dates have been offered full refunds, while others may opt to use their tickets on Thursday July 9 or Sunday July 12.

The TSSA general secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust, addressed the union’s position regarding the ongoing dispute:

"These strikes will go ahead as planned because our members have not been given parity with those in other unions – a perfectly reasonable demand. As things stand, we face an intolerable situation. Our reps at West Midlands Trains have consulted the membership, and they remain determined to proceed with their legitimate action. The last round of industrial action caused a significant impact to services and the same will happen this time around. Of course, as ever, our union only takes strike action as a last resort, so we hope that our demands can be met in the coming days to avoid any more disruption."

Conversely, management at the rail operator has expressed frustration over the decision to proceed with the walkouts. Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, described the industrial action as unnecessary and cited the significant disruption it poses to passengers.

"We are disappointed TSSA has called further unnecessary strike action which is set to cause significant disruption for our customers. We are working hard to reach a resolution to this dispute and urge TSSA to continue talks. We are sorry for the inconvenience this will cause our customers and we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact as much as possible."

What to Watch Next

• Network Recovery: Passengers should monitor network status during Sunday morning, as staff and rolling stock displacement may lead to lingering service gaps.
• Negotiations: While the TSSA has characterized this action as a last resort, no agreement has yet been reached with the Department for Transport regarding rest-day working arrangements, leaving the possibility of further industrial action open.
• Travel Planning: Passengers are advised to verify their specific departure times via official operator channels, as timetables remain subject to change due to the current operational status.