There are two periods of industrial action confirmed to be taking place, with different impacts on different days:
- ASLEF have called a nationwide ban on overtime between Monday 3 and Saturday 8 July. Similar to the experience in May 2023, this means an amended timetable with fewer services will run on all affected dates. The amended timetable has been designed to help customers plan their journey with more certainty and consistency, with fewer on-the-day cancellations and less short notice disruption.
- Nationwide RMT strike action has been called for Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 July. On these dates, while details are still being worked up, it is likely to be a fairly similar scenario to the experience during previous RMT strike dates - services will be limited across the network, with a post-07:00 start, an early shut down and no service in some locations.
The table below shows dates affected by industrial action in the left column and the expected update for journey planners in the right column.
Services during next week’s ASLEF overtime ban
Govia Thameslink Railway's (GTR) approach between Monday 3 and Saturday 8 July inclusive is to operate an amended timetable to provide greater certainty to customers about train times and frequencies with the aim of avoiding last minute cancellations and short-notice disruption due to the overtime ban. This is the same approach taken during the last overtime ban by called by ASLEF.
This is needed because as their usual service has some overtime built in - called rest day working. This provides greater flexibility to help cover sickness, holidays or release for training. Behind the scenes, the timetable is connected, so for example one driver’s shift may connect lots of other shifts together – meaning having just one uncovered shift can have a disproportionate impact. This means GTR cannot run their normal timetable while this industrial action is taking place.
The amended timetable will for the GTR network as a whole, provide approximately 75% of a normal weekday’s service. This will vary by individual route, but it has been designed using their weekday service as a base to try and cover as many typical journeys - such as school travel - as possible.
Travel advice during the ASLEF overtime ban
Trains throughout the week of 3–8 July will be much busier than usual, especially in the peak hours. Customers are advised to plan their journeys carefully, and it is likely they will need to queue, they may not be able to board the first service and to therefore allow extra time. Travelling outside of the peak hours will provide a much more comfortable journey.
Online journey planners such as nationalrail.co.uk were updated yesterday on Thursday 29 June for trains between Monday 3 and Friday 7 July and on Saturday 1 July for journeys on Saturday 8 July.
Between 3rd-7th July, Southern will be operating:
Services to/from London Victoria
- Brighton – Two trains per hour
- East Grinstead – Two trains per hour
- Horsham via Dorking – One train per hour
- London Bridge – Two trains per hour
- West Croydon via Crystal Palace - Two trains per hour
Thameslink will be operating:
- Bedford and Brighton – Two trains per hour
- London Bridge and Three Bridges via Redhill – One train per hour
On Saturday 8th July, Southern will be operating:
Services to/ from London Victoria
- Brighton – Two trains per hour
- East Grinstead – One train per hour
- Horsham via Dorking – One train per hour
- London Bridge via Crystal Palace – Two trains per hour
Uckfield Line
- One train per hour will run between Oxted and Uckfield
East Coastway
- Brighton and Eastbourne – Two trains per hour
- Brighton and Seaford – One train per hour
- Haywards Heath and Ore – One train per hour
Thameslink will be operating:
- Bedford and Brighton – Two trains per hour
Full details on how next week's industrial action will impact services can be found here: Southern - Industrial action (southernrailway.com)
If travelling during the week of the overtime ban, everyone is strongly advised check all their journeys in advance and before setting out for the station, as train times will be different to usual.
RMT strike dates in mid-to-late July
On Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 July, strike action by the RMT will take place. While the details are yet to be fully confirmed, it is likely that services will be limited across the network, with a later start, an early shut down and no service in some locations.
More detailed information about the level of service will be operating on these dates will be confirmed closer to the time.
Online journey planners will be updated on Thursday 13 July for trains on the 20 July, and Friday 14 July for trains on 20 July. Journeys on Saturday 29 July will be available to view from 20 July.
Similar to previous experiences of an RMT strike, there will also likely be impacts on the day after each strike, with no services until approximately 07:00 on Friday 21 July, and alterations to early morning services pre-09:00 on Sunday 23 and Sunday 30 July.