Well, well, well, if it isn’t more train strikes. Sure, strikes across the UK’s rail network have died down a bit since the most recent bout first kicked off in 2022, but we’re certainly not done with them yet. Disputes between (some) rail operators and trade unions rage on.
In the most recent industrial action to be announced, passengers on Hull Trains are set to face two months of strike-related disruption. The action will affect people who use the service between Hull and London King’s Cross via Doncaster and Grantham.
Members of the ASLEF union who work as drivers for Hull Trains (owned by FirstGroup) have voted to walk out every Friday and Saturday from March 7 to April 26. That’s a total of 16 days of strikes, which include Easter weekend.
Drivers are striking in response to a colleague being ‘unfairly sacked’ by Hull Trains after they raised a safety concern. ASLEF argues that the driver ‘has done nothing wrong’.
Mick Whelan, the union’s general secretary, said: ‘The company’s failure to act responsibly has impacts not just for rail workers and passengers at Hull Trains but right across the wider rail industry.
‘We have a culture on the railway designed to keep everyone safe. Anyone who works on the railway should be able to report a safety concern without fearing they will be penalised, punished, or lose their livelihood.’
A Hull Trains spokesperson said: ‘We’d like to reassure customers that there is no planned disruption to be concerned about at this time. Should there be any changes to our service then we will provide any updates in due course, with prior notice.
‘Our position remains unchanged. The safety concern claimed by ASLEF relates to the individual involved in this dispute, but it would be inappropriate to comment further on this specific case.
‘We always put safety first for both our customers and colleagues. The action taken in this matter is in line with upholding these standards.’
FirstGroup is the same company that runs Great Western Railway, Lumo and partly owns Avanti West Coast, which is currently seeing train managers strike every Sunday until June.
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In other news from our railways, the UK’s first community-owned railway service will open in 2025, these three northern English cities will soon be linked by more frequent train services, this is when the UK’s highest railway service finally reopen to the public, the longest train route in Britain is getting cancelled and Britain’s busiest train line is getting £3.8 billion of repairs.
When is the next train strike? Dates and affected lines for February 2025.
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