SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) customers are advised to check their journeys before travelling during nationwide ASLEF industrial action between Monday 3 and Saturday 8 July.
Members of the ASLEF union representing train drivers at 16 Train Operating Companies, including SWR, have been instructed not to book on for overtime or volunteer to work on rest days.
All train operators rely on a certain amount of overtime and rest day working to operate their normal timetable, and this varies by location and time of year.
While the majority of services will run, to help avoid short-notice amendments and cancellations and to provide greater certainty for customers, SWR will operate an amended timetable throughout this industrial action.
Typically, services will usually be reduced to hourly in off-peak periods with a small number of cancellations during the morning and evening peaks. Some first and last trains may also be cancelled.
Services are likely to be busier than usual throughout those days affected by the industrial action. Customers headed to the first week of Wimbledon should expect services to be especially busy and should allow extra time for their journeys.
Journey planners will be updated with the amended timetable for the five days from Monday 3 to Friday 7 July from Friday 30 June. Journey planners will be updated with the amended timetable for Saturday 8 June by the middle of next week.
Stuart Meek, Chief Operating Officer at South Western Railway, commented:
“We’re sorry that customers will again face disruption due to industrial action next week. Anybody planning to travel should please check their whole journey before setting off and be aware that services are likely to be busier than usual.
“Instead of making numerous short-notice amendments and cancellations to our standard timetable, we have decided to provide greater certainty for our customers by creating an amended timetable that we have a high degree of confidence we can reliably and safely deliver each day.”
From Monday 3 to Friday 7 July, there will be a planned closure of the Island Line on the Isle of Wight while Island Line colleagues complete refresher training in preparation for the reopening of the Ryde Pier rail line on Monday 10 July.
During the closure, two rail replacement bus services per hour will run, in both directions, between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin.
The RMT union has also called nationwide strike action for three dates next month: Thursday 20, Saturday 22, and Saturday 29 July. SWR customers should expect severe disruption to train services on these dates and may wish to consider changing travel plans now if possible.
SWR is assessing the impact this RMT strike action will have on services and will publish more information for customers as soon as possible.
