BBC News - 15 June 2022
Passengers have been advised not to travel on trains unless necessary during strikes next week, with only a fifth of services due to run.
Network Rail said about half of all rail lines will be closed when thousands of workers walk out across the UK on 21, 23 and 25 June.
The services that run will start and finish earlier, from 07:30 to 18:30.
Network Rail, which owns and maintains the country's railways, said there would also be no passenger services to locations including Bournemouth in Dorset, Swansea in south Wales, Holyhead in north Wales, Chester in Cheshire and Blackpool in Lancashire.
Open lines include the West Coast Main Line from London to Scotland via locations such as Birmingham and Manchester.
The timetable from 20 to 26 June is still being finalised, but the number of services are expected to be around 4,500 compared with 20,000 normally, Network Rail said.
Disruption is also expected to carry over into non-strike days during the week, with about 60% of services expected to run, due to not enough staff being on shift overnight to get services ready for the following day.
Several large events could be affected by the strikes, ranging from Glastonbury Festival, which runs from 22 to 26 June, to a cricket Test match between England and New Zealand taking place from 23 to 27 June.
More than 40,000 RMT union members from Network Rail and 13 train firms plan to walk out. The industrial action, which has been described as the "biggest rail strike in modern history", involves union members which include railway staff such as guards and signalling operators.
RMT announced the strike action last week after talks over pay and redundancies fell through.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said talks with the union had "not progressed as far as I had hoped" and so preparations had begun for a strike.
He called the action "needless" and said it would have a "damaging impact".
"Make no mistake, the level of service we will be able to offer will be significantly compromised and passengers need to take that into account and to plan ahead and only travel if it's really necessary to do so," he said.
The RMT union has claimed Network Rail plans to cut up to 2,500 jobs as part of a £2bn reduction in spending, with the proposed job cuts including workers who maintain tracks, signals and overhead lines.
It also said train operators had been subject to pay freezes and changes to their terms and conditions.
On Tuesday, RMT called for a meeting with the transport secretary and chancellor, saying it had become clear that the Treasury was "calling the shots and not allowing rail employers to reach a negotiated settlement".
The rail industry is under pressure to save money due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and Network Rail has said it wants to modernise working practices, and use more technology to do some maintenance jobs.
It estimated between 1,500 and 2,000 fewer staff would be needed, but insists this could be achieved through voluntary severance. It also says safety would be improved because fewer people would need to be going out onto the tracks.
