Wales train passengers warned of rail strike disruption

Great Western Rail has warned that it will have extremely limited services

Rail passengers are being warned of severe disruption over the next few days.

Drivers' strikes could hit those travelling from parts of Wales to London this weekend.

On Friday all Avanti West Coast Services - which run from Holyhead, Bangor, Llandudno Junction and Wrexham to London and Birmingham - will be cancelled.

On Saturday Great Western Rail (GWR) services will be very limited.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said it was trying to keep disruption to a minimum but urged passengers to check their route before they travel.

The disruption comes as members of drivers' union Aslef take part in an overtime ban from Thursday to Saturday, and for 48 hours from Monday.

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Steve Austin, district organiser of Aslef for south west England and Wales, said that "train drivers have not had an increase in pay in five years" and that after nearly two years of action "members are still voting overwhelmingly in favour of strike action".

Train operators warned it was likely few or no services would run across large areas of the network operated by the affected train companies on strike days.

Services are also likely to be disrupted and start later on the day immediately following a full strike day.

Avanti West Coast said the action meant it was "unable to run any services this Friday" and that the ban could also affect its ability to run a full timetable in the coming days.

Andy Mellors, managing director of Avanti West Coast, apologised in advance to its customers.

Great Western Rail, which operates long-distance inter-city services between south Wales and London, warned that on Saturday things will be extremely limited, with no long-distance services, direct trains between London Paddington and Reading nor trains on many other parts of its network.

The company said the cancellation of direct trains from Swansea to London could see passengers change at Newport and Birmingham, before eventually arriving at London Euston.

Transport for Wales said while it was not directly affected by the action, said some services may be busier than usual.

Further strike action on Monday is due to hit services such as c2c and the Gatwick Express.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Having resolved disputes with all other rail unions, the transport secretary and rail minister have ensured that a pay offer is on the table - taking train drivers' average salaries from £60,000 up to £65,000."

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