Strikes by the RMT and ASLEF unions in October have forced the train operator Northern to advise its customers across the North of England ‘Do Not Travel’ on three separate dates.
Action taking place on Saturday 1 and Wednesday 5 October will mean Northern cannot operate any services on those days. Meanwhile, action on Saturday 8 October is expected to bring all but a handful of services to a halt, with Northern still working on a skeleton timetable to be published in due course.
Given the impact strikes have on fleet displacement, Northern is also advising customers to ‘check before you travel’ on Sunday 2 and Sunday 9 October, when services cannot start until much later in the morning.
For more information, Northern’s customers should visit: northernrailway.co.uk/strikes
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “This is the fourth ‘Do Not Travel’ notice we have been forced to issue this summer due to strike action by the trade unions.
“We apologise in advance for the significant disruption and inconvenience this action by the RMT and ASLEF unions will cause to our customers.
“As we have previously pledged, we will continue to work towards a resolution to this issue with the hope of avoiding more disruptive strikes in the future.”
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK. Ordinarily, they would operate nearly 2,000 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.
