RAIL OPERATORS have advised customers not to travel by train tomorrow as more strikes hit the UK.

The strike has been called by the train drivers union ASLEF after rail bosses failed to increase pay during the increase in the cost of living.

Railway operators affected by the strike include Arriva Rail London, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.

Disruption is also expected to continue into Sunday, July 30, as overnight walkouts mean trains will be displaced for the morning, causing delays throughout the day.

Customers are advised to check online timetables up until minutes before they are set to travel for delays and cancellations. 

LNER, who operate the east coast main line service south of York to London and north to Edinburgh, announced that they will be running with an extremely limited timetable in place, with approximately one train running every two hours on the line.

Speaking on Twitter, the rail operator advised customers not to travel during the industrial action.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: "We don’t want to go on strike – strikes are the result of a failure of negotiation – and this union, since I was elected GS in 2011, has only ever been on strike, until this year, for a handful of days.

"We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – not least because our friends and families use public transport, too, and we believe in building trust in the railways in Britain – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike.

"But we’ve been forced into this position by the train companies, driven by the Tory government. The drivers at the companies where we are striking have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years – since April 2019.

"And these companies are offering us nothing, saying their hands have been tied by the government. That means, in real terms, with inflation running ahead at 9%, 10%, and even 11% this year, according to which index you use, that they are being told to take a real terms pay cut. And that is not acceptable.

"Strike action is, now, the only option available but we are always open to talks if the train companies, or the government, want to talk to us and make a fair and sensible offer.’

Speaking on the RMT train strikes earlier in the week (July 27) Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, said: “Everyone is suffering from the cost of living crisis so for train drivers to single themselves out as a special case and cause misery for millions of other workers is entirely wrong.

“I urge train drivers to get back to work and for unions and management to get back to the negotiating table.”

Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, also speaking on the previous RMT strikes, said on Twitter: “If constituents need support to find alternative transport routes, we're here to help.

"This dispute could easily be resolved if job security, safety & fair pay, with no strings, were offered.”

You can check your travel route here for disruption: https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/service-updates/check-before-you-travel