London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 23, 2025

Londoners face travel misery with rail strike and cold weather

Londoners face travel misery with rail strike and cold weather

First 48 hour rail strike this week to cause chaos on Tuesday while Met says ice will also lead to more ‘difficult’ travel conditions

London will face more travel chaos on Tuesday as the start of a 48-hour rail strike and cold weather threaten to grind the capital to a halt.

RMT union members at 14 train operating companies rejected a pay offer from Network Rail and confirmed on Monday they will be walking off the job on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

The impact of the industrial action that is set to severely impact train services in the capital comes on top of chaos set to be caused again by the freezing weather.

The Met Office has issued a ice warning for the capital until 11am on Tuesday morning.

It warned: “Lying snow and icy patches will lead to difficult travel conditions during Monday and into Tuesday” and told people to expect “icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths” and “some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces”.
On strike days

roughly just 20 per cent of services will run between 7.30am and 6.30pm, National Rail warned, with commuters urged to check final train times and to only travel if “absolutely necessary”.

The Elizabeth Line will run a reduced service between London Paddington and Reading. Meanwhile Heathrow Express services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport will finish at 6.30pm.

A reduced service is planned to run along the East Coast Main Line – which connects London King’s Cross, Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh – between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

It comes after hundreds of flights, trains and Tubes were cancelled amid Monday morning commuter mayhem.

Sunday night’s snowfall in the capital left drivers stranded on the M25 for hours and more than 30 schools closed, forcing many parents to take time off work.

Nationwide some 7,500 drivers broke down and called the “exceptionally busy” RAC due to the freezing temperatures.

At Solihull in the West Midlands, three children rescued from a lake after falling through ice died in hospital, while a fourth remains in a critical condition.

Meanwhile hundreds of flights were axed, delayed or diverted with some stranded passengers forced to sleep on the floor at Gatwick.


Network Rail offer rejected


On Monday 63.6 per cent of an 83 per cent turnout of RMT union members voted to reject Network Rail’s latest offer, which included a 5 per cent and 4 per cent pay rise over a two-year period.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: "This is a huge rejection of Network Rail’s substandard offer and shows that our members are determined to take further strike action in pursuit of a negotiated settlement.

"The government is refusing to lift a finger to prevent these strikes and it is clear they want to make effective strike action illegal in Britain.”

Meanwhile National Rail said the strikes were “deeply frustrating” and “highly disruptive”, causing “misery to passengers right across the country” during the festive season.

David Davidson, Network Rail’s interim Western route director, said: “I would like to apologise to passengers and urge them to seek alternative ways to travel than by train and for those passengers who must travel by train to expect severe disruption, plan ahead and check the time of your last train home.”

Further rail strikes are planned between 6pm Christmas Eve and 6am December 27, as well as January 3,4,6 and 7.

The 14 rail companies involved are: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c,Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern South Western Railway, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
×