Dondon faces more travel chaos on Tuesday as the start of a 48-hour train strike and cold weather threaten to bring the capital to a halt.
RMT union members from 14 train operating companies have rejected an offer to pay from Network Rail and confirmed on Monday they will be leaving their jobs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
The impact of industrial action which is expected to severely impact rail services in the capital adds to the chaos which will once again be caused by the frost.
The Met Office has issued an ice warning for the capital until 11am on Tuesday morning.
He warned: “Snow and icy patches will lead to difficult travel conditions during Monday and Tuesday” and told people to expect “icy patches on some untreated roads, sidewalks and bike paths” and “some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces ”.
On strike days only about 20 per cent of services will operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm, National Rail has warned, with commuters being asked to check final train times and only travel if “absolutely necessary”.
The Elizabeth Line will operate a reduced service between London Paddington and Reading. Meanwhile, Heathrow Express services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport will end at 6.30pm.
There is a reduced service on the East Coast Main Line – linking London King’s Cross, Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh – between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
It comes after hundreds of flights, trains and subways were canceled during the Monday morning commuter chaos.
United Kingdom Weather | December 2022: Snow hits London
Sunday night’s snowfall in the capital left motorists stranded on the M25 for hours and more than 30 schools closed, forcing many parents to take time off from work.
Nationwide about 7,500 drivers broke down and called the RAC “exceptionally busy” due to freezing temperatures.
In Solihull, in the West Midlands, three children rescued from a lake after falling through the ice have died in hospital, while a fourth remain in critical condition.
Meanwhile hundreds of flights have been grounded, delayed or diverted with some stranded passengers forced to sleep on the floor at Gatwick.
Network Rail bid rejected
63.6 per cent of an 83 per cent turnout of RMT union members voted on Monday to reject Network Rail’s latest offer, which included a 5 per cent and 4 per cent pay rise over a two-year period. years.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “This is a huge rejection of Network Rail’s poor offer and shows that our members are determined to take further strike action in pursuit of a negotiated settlement.
“The government refuses to lift a finger to prevent these strikes and it is clear they want to make effective strike actions illegal in Britain.”
Meanwhile, National Rail said the strikes had been “deeply frustrating” and “highly disruptive”, causing “suffering for passengers across the country” over the holiday season.
David Davidson, Network Rail’s Acting Western Route Manager, said: ‘I would like to apologize to passengers and urge them to seek alternative ways to travel than rail and for those passengers who must travel by rail to expect severe disruption, plan ahead. and check the time of your last train home.
Further rail strikes are expected between 6pm on Christmas Eve and 6am on 27 December, as well as on 3, 4, 6 and 7 January.
The 14 railway companies involved are: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern South Western Railway, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including the Gatwick Express).
by 