RAIL STRIKES- Redditch and Bromsgrove commuters set for disruption next week - The Redditch Standard

RAIL STRIKES- Redditch and Bromsgrove commuters set for disruption next week

Redditch Editorial 17th Jun, 2022   0

COMMUTERS and other rail users are facing major disruption next week after workers at several train companies, including West Midlands Railway, voted to strike.

Residents travelling on the Cross-City line to Bromsgrove and Redditch from Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley will be limited to one train per hour to their town with normal services resuming on Sunday after a later start-up.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) take their industrial action on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday next week, impacting the number of trains that can run.

A limited service will operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm to allow vital freight transportation to continue.




The knock-on impact will also see Wednesday’s and Friday’s train times affected, with services starting at 7.30am and last trains being earlier than usual.

WMR customer experience director Jonny Wiseman said the RMT’s decision was ‘very disappointing’ and added people should only travel on trains if their journey is absolutely necessary and they have no other transport option is available to them.


“Passengers holding tickets or season tickets will be entitled to refunds and should visit our website for information.”

Passenger assistance will still be available on the services which do run.

RMT called for a face-to-face meeting with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Wednesday to try and avert strike action.

The strike is over pay and job losses, and in a letter to Grant Shapps, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that the Treasury was ‘calling the shots’ and was not allowing rail employers to come to a negotiated settlement with the union.

 

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