Strike daily: How Thursday 5 January’s walkouts will affect you
- Published
Rail disruption is set to get even worse today, with only 20-25% of trains running in England because train drivers are going on strike. On some lines there will be no trains at all.
Bus services in London will be affected by strike action again too, and some driving tests are still being cancelled.
You can read more or watch this report about why people are taking strike action, and below you can find information on how it could affect you.
Train strikes
There are 15 rail operating companies affected by action organised by train drivers' union Aslef. They are all in England, but some run services into Scotland and Wales.
On some lines, such as Southeastern and Avanti West Coast, no services will run at all on Thursday.
On the other lines, there will be very few trains running, and services will start later and stop earlier. For example LNER's last train south from Edinburgh will depart at 16:30 GMT.
Earlier, the Rail Delivery Group estimated that only 10% of England's usual trains would run on Thursday, but it later said it believed 20-25% would run.
Disruption will be made worse by the knock-on impact of strike action by RMT members that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Thursday's services starting later as a result. The RMT union, whose members are rail workers other than drivers, has another strike planned for Friday and Saturday.
The advice is to avoid travelling by train on Thursday, but if you must travel:
Check your train-operating company's website , externalbefore setting out
Allow extra time for your journey
Services are not expected to get back to normal until Monday 9 January.
Driving tests
Strike action by driving examiners at test centres in London, south-east England, south-west England and Wales means some practical tests will not take place, although theory tests should go ahead.
If you are due to take your driving test on Thursday, you can check here, external whether your test centre is one of those affected. But unless you are told your test is definitely cancelled, you should still turn up. Not all driving examiners are members of the union backing the strikes, so your test may take place as planned.
Examiners are planning to be on strike until Tuesday 10 January.
If your test is cancelled because of the strike, the DVSA will automatically rebook your test for you.
Other strikes
Bus drivers in London are continuing their industrial action on Thursday. The routes affected are mostly in south and west London.
National Highways staff, including traffic officers who deal with the aftermath of accidents, are back at work after taking action on Wednesday, but are due to take further action on Friday and Saturday.
How are you affected by the strikes? Are you taking part in strike action? You can email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, external.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
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- Published3 January 2023
