Train strikes Wales: Avoid travel warning as services halted

Passengers are facing major disruption as nearly all trains in Wales are cancelled on Wednesday.

More than 40,000 UK railway workers with the RMT union are taking part in national strikes over pay.

Transport for Wales (TfW) urged people to "only to travel by rail if necessary" during the industrial action.

It said the strikes are expected to cause "severe disruption" across the whole of the UK.

TfW is not in dispute with the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT), but as Network Rail maintains tracks services in Wales will be hit.

This means only a handful of trains will be running on Wednesday.

The action comes a month after a similar strike when passengers were urged to avoid travelling by rail as almost all trains ground to a halt during the biggest strike in 30 years.

TfW said the majority of services on the Wales & Borders network would be suspended on Wednesday.

The company also warned disruption could continue days after the industrial action.

"We've lost around £700 of business today because of [today's] rail strike," said the owner of a cafe and restaurant in Conwy county.

Richard Reynolds runs Bodnant Welsh Food Centre, which also has self-catering accommodation.

"A group of three people were due to stay here for a night," he said.

"They've cancelled completely - we've lost the accommodation booking and the meals they were due to have in the restaurant."

It was hard to calculate, he said, how many other day trip customers he may have lost.

Train drivers at seven rail companies will walk out on Saturday over a separate dispute.

TfW said it would be running a full timetable on Saturday but services were likely to be impacted by strike action at other train operating companies, which could result in short-notice cancellations and changes.

Managing director Jan Choudry-van der Velde has encouraged both sides to reach an agreement and said the disruption damaged its efforts to encourage passengers back to the network after lockdown.

Great Western Railway (GWR), which runs services between south Wales and London, will not run trains between Carmarthen and Cardiff on Wednesday.

Paul Gentleman, from GWR, said while the strikes will have a "massive impact" on services, Saturday's walk-out is likely to be worse.

"Quite frankly this is going to have a bigger impact than today's strike," he said.

"We only anticipate running about 5% of trains which actually means we won't be able to run any trains whatsoever.

"From England into South Wales and obviously that's going to cause massive disruption.'

Other routes on its network will be affected, while most services will not run on Saturday.

Customers with existing tickets valid for travel on Wednesday and Saturday can use those tickets any time up to 2 August or claim a full refund.

Steven Skelly, the RMT regional organiser, said: "The reality is, we've had to take strike action because we've been locked in a dispute with the employer - with Network Rail and the train operating companies over their refusal to award a sensible pay award to our members, some of which are in their third year of the pay freeze.

"Unfortunately it seems that the employers are very much hamstrung by the government and the Department for Transport (DfT) who are refusing to give any sensible mandate and reach a meaningful dispute resolution."

"There seems to be a clear agenda by the government that they will not unshackle the employers - and they've effectively had their hands held behind their back and unable to negotiate and resolve the very sensible assurances that we are seeking."

Nick Millington, route director for Wales & Borders at Network Rail: "We are doing our best to run the trains that we can - we recognise that's a significantly reduced service here in Wales."

He added: "We are in dialogue and we have made progress. I recognise it's not the progress that everybody wants."

"It's not all about money either - we want to make sure that we get a sustainable deal for the railway industry and for those that pay for the railway industry, but also the people that use the railway industry."

The unions are in dispute with the UK government and rail companies over pay, job cuts and changes to terms and conditions.

It comes as fewer passengers are travelling by train because of the pandemic, which has led to more people working from home.

Network Rail said a two-year, 8% deal with a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, and other benefits and extras was on the table but the RMT left the talks.

Mick Lynch, of the RMT, told BBC Breakfast the offer was behind the rate of inflation.

He added: "They're cutting back on 50% of inspections, they want to make 2-3,000 members redundant on network rail and rip up every working condition we've got."

RMT said there has been no change or improvement in the pay offers it has received and said the threat of compulsory redundancies and unsafe 50% cuts to maintenance work had been raised.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said driver-only operations and the "ransacking" of members' terms and conditions had also been put on the table by the train operating companies.

There is plenty of bad blood around as Network Rail has accused the RMT of "obstinacy" and branded its action a "political campaign" while the Department for Transport said the union is "hell-bent on creating further misery for passengers across the UK".

It added the rail industry has to modernise and be brought into the 21st Century for the benefit of passengers and staff.