Strike frustration for West Midlands rail users

Rail users in the West Midlands have said they are frustrated by planned strike action.

The RMT union announced thousands of workers will walk out on 21, 23 and 25 June after talks over pay and redundancies fell through.

Some operators in the region have published amended timetables and urged people to avoid non-essential trips.

They have also warned the disruption is likely to cause a knock-on effect on non-strike days.

West Midlands Railway said the strike would have a "considerable impact".

As a result, it said it would be running a limited service.

Children's centre manager Carol Ferron-Smith told the BBC: "I'm frustrated because I think Britain's supposed to be a first world country and should have a better infrastructure."

However, she said she was "sort of sympathetic" and understood that the union members "want their pay to coincide with the cost of living".

Jake Stokes travels from Albrighton in Shropshire to his architecture apprenticeship in Stourbridge and said the strike action would be "a nightmare".

But he said: "I'm lucky in some respects, because someone I work with lives quite close to where I live and so they've kindly offered to take me on the days of the strikes."

Ukrainian refugee Tetiana Skachkova left her family behind in Kyiv and now works in Birmingham.

She said: "I'll be unable to get to my office, it's a huge problem, it's a bad surprise for me."

Transport for West Midlands said it was looking at the possible impact, but added: "While we acknowledge the pressures facing both parties, we expect them to work together to resolve matters of difference and agree a way forward without impacting the travelling public and in advance of the Commonwealth Games."

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