West Midlands rail passengers face strike disruption

On many West Midlands Railway routes there will be no services at all on strike days next week

A "significantly" reduced train service will be running across the West Midlands during nationwide strikes next week, a rail operator has said.

More than 40,000 RMT union members, from Network Rail and 13 train firms, plan to walk out in the "biggest rail strike in modern history".

West Midlands Railway (WMR), Avanti West Coast and Transport for Wales will all be hit on 21, 23 and 25 June.

There will be no service on many routes out of Birmingham.

The RMT's walkout comes after talks over pay and redundancies fell through.

Passengers have been advised to only travel if "their journey is essential".

On strike days, WMR services will only run between 07:30 and 18:30.

Only one train an hour will operate between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International stations.

There will also be one train each hour running from Wolverhampton to Birmingham.

On the Cross-City Line, which runs from Lichfield Trent Valley to Redditch via Birmingham New Street, there will be two trains an hour.

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No trains will run on any other WMR route, including all routes via Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham to Shrewsbury, Birmingham to Worcester and Hereford and Nuneaton to Leamington Spa.

Avanti West Coast expects to run one train an hour from Euston to Birmingham, while Transport for Wales, which serves Shrewsbury and Birmingham, also plans to suspend trains to the region.

Talks with members of the RMT union who work for Network Rail broke down last week

Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, described the decision to strike as "very disappointing" and said it was set to cause "significant disruption".

He said: "We are asking customers to only travel with us if their journey is essential and no other transport option is available to them."

Passengers holding tickets or season tickets will be entitled to refunds, he added.

The RMT has claimed Network Rail plans to cut up to 2,500 jobs as part of a £2bn reduction in spending, with the proposed job cuts including workers who maintain tracks, signals and overhead lines.

It also said train operators had been subject to pay freezes and changes to their terms and conditions.