Milton Keynes passengers warned to only travel by train if strictly necessary

Network Rail is advising passengers to only travel if it is strictly necessary as only five trains an hour will be leaving London Euston.

A special timetable will be in place but many routes will have no trains at all. Those which do run will start later, from 7:30am, and finish by 6.30pm.

Passengers who still need to travel should check with Network Rail so they know exactly what to expect.

The strike action is through RMT union. Some 40,000 members working at Network Rail and 14 train operators will walk out on Wednesday as part of a dispute over pay, jobs and terms and conditions.

It follows the biggest rail strike for 30 years over three days last month.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: "Despite our best efforts to find a breakthrough, I'm afraid there will be more disruption for passengers this week as the RMT seems hell-bent on continuing their political campaigning, rather than compromising and agreeing a deal for their members."

Tomorrow’s strike will cause particular chaos in Milton Keynes, where 30,000 fans have booked tickets to see France play Germany in the semi-finals of the Women’s Euros at MK Stadium.

A shuttle bus will be running running from the city centre to the stadium, and National Express has two coach services arriving from London Victoria at 3pm and then at 5pm.

Network Rail has warned that passengers should also expect disruption on the morning of Thursday July 28 with a later start to services as employees return to duties.

James Dean, Network Rail’s West Coast South route director, said: “With a fraction of the usual workforce available, including signallers who safely move trains around the network there will be a severely limited service during RMT strike action tomorrow. Many routes won’t be served at all, once again pointlessly causing misery for millions of rail passengers.

“I can only apologise for the impact another RMT strike will have on people’s lives, especially those travelling for holidays or attending events such as the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 semi-final in Milton Keynes (Wednesday 27th) and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (Thursday 28th).

Separately, train drivers' union Aslef has called strike action across seven train operators on Saturday July 30 that will significantly disrupt some routes, so passengers are asked to check their journeys before travelling over the weekend as well.

If passengers with an advance, off-peak or anytime ticket are affected by the strike, they can use their ticket either on the day before the date on the ticket, or up to and including Tuesday August 2.

Passengers can change their tickets to travel on an alternate date, or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled. Those with a season ticket that is monthly or longer can claim compensation for these days.

For all travel information, including reduced timetables, see National Rail Enquiries.

People can also check with their individual train operators through these links:

Avanti West Coast’s information page

London Northwestern Railway's information page

Caledonian Sleeper's information page

Transport for London's information page