Train passengers warned of month of chaos amid multiple strikes

Rail passengers were on Friday warned of a month of chaos over Christmas due to strikes, overtime bans, engineering work and station closures.

Train companies said journeys should only be attempted if “absolutely necessary” between next Tuesday and Sunday as two 48-hour walkouts by the RMT union will bring much of the network to a standstill and leave only about 20 per cent of trains running.

Problems will continue in the week before Christmas as an RMT overtime ban between December 18 and January 2 will mean “reduced services and busier trains”, according to Network Rail. About one in five trains will be axed.

There will also be disruption on the Tube and London Overground due to engineering work from December 17-23, with no Bakerloo line service between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone and no Overground between Euston and Watford Junction.

There will be no trains on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and Victoria and Liverpool Street mainline stations will close until January 3.

The Elizabeth line will be suspended between Whitechapel and Shenfield for this period, as will all London Overground routes from Liverpool Street to Enfield, Cheshunt and Chingford.

Strikes will resume on January 3-4 and 6-7, with a normal service not resuming until Monday January 9.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch on Thursday night warned the rail strikes could last “indefinitely” due to the Government’s 11th hour demand that the union agrees to driver-only trains as a precondition of any deal with the 14 train firms over pay and working conditions.

Separately, the RMT’s dispute with Transport for London over pensions and station staffing could result in more Tube strikes after members voted 92 per cent in favour of six more months of action – though new dates have yet to be set.

Network Rail said there would be far fewer trains than normal during the action on December 13-14 and 16-17, with no trains before 730am or after 630pm.

On Christmas Eve, passengers are advised to travel by lunchtime. The last London train to Edinburgh will depart at around 2pm.

Strike-day timetables for next week were being published on Friday. Train firms said the absence of Network Rail signallers was the key factor in determining how many services could be run.

South Western Railway said “significant parts” of its network would close entirely next week. On the strike days next week, its services will be limited to services in and out of Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside, Basingstoke, Woking and Southampton Central.

Steve Tyler, South Western Railway’s performance and planning director, said: “The strike period will be followed by two weeks of further disruption on the network, as the RMT has instructed their members not to book any overtime until January 2.”

Govia Thameslink Railway said there would be no Thameslink trains crossing central London – between St Pancras and London Bridge – on strike days next week, no trains from Finsbury Park to Moorgate, a popular commuter route, and no Gatwick Express.

It will prioritise Southern services between Brighton and Victoria and trains from Epsom Downs, Sutton, West Croydon and Crystal Palace.