London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 05, 2026

Britain’s rail strikes: which trains will be running where and when?

Britain’s rail strikes: which trains will be running where and when?

The biggest national rail strikes in 30 years are due to take place next week. Here’s how services will be affected

Only about half of Britain’s rail network will be open on the strike days – Tuesday 21, Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June – with a very limited service. Trains will only run between 7.30am and 6.30pm. Intercity main lines and urban services will be most likely to function. Some places will see no services at all.

On Wednesday, Friday and Sunday about 60% of the service will run, starting later than usual. A few Monday evening services will terminate earlier.

Network Rail said passengers should check ahead with train operators. Most have advised to only travel if necessary on strike days. A full strike timetable is expected to be published later this week.

A separate tube strike in London is due on Tuesday 21 June.


Major train operator advice to date for strike days


Most trains are not running outside 7.30am-6.30pm.

*  Avanti West Coast Expects to run one train an hour from London Euston to each of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston, with a limited service to Glasgow. No trains serving north Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool or Edinburgh.

*  Chiltern Two trains an hour from London Marylebone, only running as far north as Banbury.

*  Cross Country Still finalising but services to Penzance, and between Bristol and Birmingham, will not run.

*  c2c Two trains an hour between London and Shoeburyness in Essex.

*  East Midlands Railway One fast train an hour between Nottingham, Sheffield, Corby and London; one an hour on routes between Derby, Matlock, Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield. Other lines closed.

*  Govia Thameslink Railway Two trains an hour on most routes – from Brighton to London terminals on Southern, and on the major Thameslink and Great Northern routes. No trains before 7.15am on non-strike days.

*  Greater Anglia Services will only run on the main lines into London Liverpool Street, with one train an hour from Cambridge and Norwich, and two from Stansted.

*  Great Western Railway No services west of Cardiff or Plymouth on strike days.

*  LNER Running a higher proportion than most – nearly 40% – but recommends avoiding travel, with last services between Edinburgh and London departing in the early afternoon.

*  Northern Advises not to travel from Tuesday to Sunday. Extremely limited services around cities and no services at all in many areas on strike days.

*  Scotrail One to two trains an hour on routes between Glasgow and Edinburgh; no service north of Falkirk.

*  Southeastern Only services into London Bridge, as far as Dartford and Orpington, and between St Pancras and Ashford via Ebbsfleet on the high speed line.

*  South Western Two fast trains an hour to/from London Waterloo and Southampton; four an hour to Woking and Windsor, two to Basingstoke, rest of network closed. Some trains start at 7.15am.

*  TransPennine Very limited service. Roughly one train an hour between Manchester and York, every two to four hours on other routes, and no trains at all to stations including Scarborough and Hull.

*  West Midlands Very limited service between Birmingham and Wolverhampton; no trains at all on many routes, including on non-strike days.

*  Transport for London Avoid travel on Tuesday when the tube strike will close the underground. Tube services disrupted early Wednesday. London Overground and outer sections of the Bakerloo, District and Elizabeth lines will be affected and curtailed on national rail strike days.

Transport for Wales Not directly in dispute, but nonetheless all services will be suspended bar some of the Core Valley Lines routes around Cardiff.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Parliament Raises Concerns Over Funding Structure of £400 Million Tropical Forest Initiative
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North as Part of UK Devolution Push
UK Reaffirms Falkland Islands Sovereignty Amid Renewed Regional Pressure
Andy Burnham to Abstain From Assisted Dying Vote as Ministers Are Told to Remain Neutral
Kemi Badenoch Sacks Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride in Conservative Economic Strategy Shake-Up
UK Government Drops Early Prisoner Release Plan in Favor of Deportations and Wider Prison Reform
UK Farmers Warn Drought-Hit Harvests Could Push Grocery Prices Higher
UK Economy Faces Persistent Stagflation Risks Ahead of October Budget
Masked Protesters Block Port of Dover Roads, Disrupting Cross-Channel Traffic
Reform UK Suspends Senior Officials After Undercover Investigation Into Foreign Donation Plans
UK Urges Households to Keep Emergency Supplies Amid Severe El Niño Warning
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Regional Industry and Prison Reform Agenda
Siemens Energy Wins Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor Manufacturing Contract
UK Mortgage Costs Rise as Gilt Yields and Swap Rates Climb
Bank of England’s Huw Pill Calls for Prompt Rate Rise as Inflation Risks Persist
National Audit Office Warns UK Is Unprepared for Major Food Supply Disruptions
British Army Suspends Some Training Exercises as Budget Pressures Intensify
HMS Queen Elizabeth Deploys as NATO Allied Response Force Command Ship
Reform UK Suspends Two Senior Officials Over Alleged Foreign Donation Scheme
UK Reasserts Falkland Islands Sovereignty After Argentina Threatens Sanctions
Scottish Tech Company PureLifi Enters Administration With More Than 40 Job Losses
Scottish Government Names Alyn Smith Innovation and Education Minister
Green Party Co-Leader Zack Polanski to Contest By-Election for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism-Related Prison Sentences
PwC Report Highlights Persistent Regional Spending-Power Divide Across Britain
UK Names Hundreds of Employers for Minimum Wage Violations
UK Commits £400 Million to International Tropical Forest Fund
UK Extends £2 Bus Fare Cap Across England Through 2027
UK Warns Travellers as US-Iran Tensions Disrupt Middle East Security and Shipping
Andy Burnham Faces Kemi Badenoch in First Prime Minister’s Questions
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK Treasury and Markets Focus on Fiscal Headroom Ahead of Autumn Budget
UK Government Reverses Early Release Plans for Serious Violent and Sexual Offences
UK and France Review Border Cooperation After 48,000 Small-Boat Crossings Prevented
UK Growth Outlook Weakens as Inflation and Energy Costs Rise
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
×