ASLEF Strike Action
ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, has announced strikes affecting Avanti West Coast on Saturday 3 February – part of a range of industrial action at multiple train companies between 30 January and 5 February. We are advising that customers do not attempt to travel on Avanti West Coast on Saturday 3 February as we will not be running any services on any of our routes. We’re disappointed with this industrial action, and we are sorry for the inconvenience it will cause to our customers.
Avanti West Coast services on the days either side of the strike will also be affected, along with industrial action impacting other train companies throughout the week, so we are asking customers to check their entire journey before they travel. Please go to: https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/live-train-status
Customers who booked tickets to travel on strike days before the industrial action was announced, on or before 16 January, can claim a full, fee-free refund from their point of purchase. Alternatively, customers with pre-booked tickets for strike days can use these on alternative travel dates as follows:
• Tickets dated between Tuesday 30 January and Monday 5 February can be used any time from Monday 29 January up until Wednesday 7 February.
Customers don’t need to make any changes to their ticket in order to travel flexibly – Avanti’s onboard and station teams will be ready to accept tickets as outlined above. However, these easements do not include London Underground services.
To minimise the number of people disrupted, we’ve suspended ticket sales for Saturday 3 February. Customers should continue to check our website, and those of other operators, for updates. Online journey planners now accurately show no Avanti West Coast trains on Saturday 3 February. Customers should continue to check the Avanti West Coast website, and those of other operators, for updates.
ASLEF has also announced that their members will withdraw from working any overtime between 29 January and 6 February. Though the plan is to run the normal timetable during this period (with changes instead relating to the full strike action on 3 February and the resulting impact on 2 and 4 February), customers are recommended to check before they travel, as the overtime ban’s impact will vary from route to route, and the entire journey across multiple train operators may be affected.
