London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Rail strikes: 'Significantly reduced timetable' as train workers stage 24-hour walk-out

Rail strikes: 'Significantly reduced timetable' as train workers stage 24-hour walk-out

Avanti West Coast will run just one train an hour from London Euston to Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow on Saturday with services from the capital expected to be halted in mid-afternoon.

Train passengers have been warned to expect disruption on rail networks as a strike hits services on some of Britain's busiest routes today.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union working for Avanti West Coast are staging a 24-hour walk-out in a dispute over rosters.

Commuters have been warned to expect a "significantly reduced" timetable on Saturday during limited operating hours.

Avanti West Coast will run one train an hour from London Euston to Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool respectively, with the last service due to leave the station mid-afternoon.

Services will travel to Liverpool via the West Midlands, including Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton, due to scheduled works by Network Rail between Rugby and Stafford.

The planned upgrading will also see some trains diverted, meaning journey times could be longer than expected.

There will be no Avanti West Coast services in North Wales, Shrewsbury, Chester, Blackpool and Edinburgh as a result of the reduced timetable.


The RMT said staff were suffering from "dreadfully low morale" and were feeling "completely neglected" as the company increases its services in response to criticism for reducing its timetable over the summer.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the strike is the end-result of "months of neglect" and the "only way train managers feel they can voice their concerns".

Avanti West Coast managers formed a picket line at Manchester Piccadilly station on Saturday morning as RMT members called for a "fair work/life balance".

"Avanti continue to be totally unreasonable in negotiations and seem incapable of taking responsibility for the mess they have caused," Mr Lynch said.

Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, on a picket line outside London Euston train station in August


"They show little concern for the health and safety of our members as some of their rostering proposals would lead to unacceptable levels of fatigue amongst train managers.

"Avanti should never have been given any extension to their franchise contract for all the chaos they have caused the travelling public.

"We remain open for meaningful talks to resolve the dispute but be in no doubt our industrial campaign will continue for as long as it takes."

The train managers involved in the dispute are also due to strike on 6 November.

Barry Milsom, executive director of operations and safety at Avanti West Coast said the company was "disappointed" by the strike action.

"Our customers are facing another weekend of disruption and I would like to thank them for their continued patience and understanding.

"We all need to be working together for the long-term benefit of our people and customers.

"So, we ask RMT to engage in meaningful industry reform talks around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st century."


Commuters are bracing for further chaos on public transport next month when railway workers at 14 train companies stage strikes on 3, 5 and 7 November.

London Overground and Tube workers will also take action on 3 November.

Meanwhile a London Poppy Day fundraiser scheduled for the same day has been cancelled due to the upcoming strikes.

The Royal British Legion annual event, which aims to raise £1m in a day, "will not go ahead as planned", the charity, which supports veterans of the armed forces and their families, confirmed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×