Passengers on Great Britain’s west coast mainline have been warned of disruption to Avanti services on every Sunday from this weekend to the end of May.
Train managers represented by the the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) have said they will strike on every Sunday from 12 January to 25 May 2025, in a dispute over their pay for working on rest days.
Talks between the union and the company are understood to be continuing but the strikes are still scheduled to go ahead. Meanwhile, the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, announced on Thursday that he planned to retire in the first week of May.
Avanti, which runs services between London, Birmingham and Glasgow, said passengers should try to travel before or after Sunday if possible to avoid disruption from a “significantly reduced” timetable caused by the strikes and engineering work. Tickets will be valid on other days, while holders will also be entitled to refunds.
The train operating company said four trains an hour would be running to and from London Euston: one to each of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Preston. There will also be a very limited service between Glasgow and Carlisle, with replacement buses running between Carlisle and Preston because of planned engineering work. The last departure from London will leave at 5pm.
There will be no Avanti West Coast trains to north Wales, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Stoke-on-Trent or Macclesfield on 12 January or 19 January.
The company, a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia, was awarded a new long-term contract in 2023 by the government to run Britain’s major intercity service despite criticism of its record of cancelled and late-running trains.
Avanti West Coast cancelled 7.8% of its trains in the year to 9 November. This was second only to Northern, which with 8%, had the worst cancellation rate among the privatised train operating companies in Great Britain.
Kathryn O’Brien, the executive director of customer experience at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re disappointed by the RMT calling strike action for an extended period when our customers may be working, visiting family and friends, or enjoying days out. As a result, they will face significantly disrupted journeys during this time. I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.
“On the strike days we’ll have a reduced service, so customers with tickets for those days are strongly advised to travel on alternative dates or claim a full fee-free refund. We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”
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The RMT said the company had ignored workers’ concerns.
“Our members have resoundingly rejected Avanti’s latest offers in two referendums, and sustained strike action is now the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement with the union,” an RMT spokesperson told Sky News.