A look at how the planned rail strike will affect passengers

A national rail strike has been planned for Bank Holiday Monday and Tuesday. Credit: Chris Ison / PA Archive/PA Images

This article does not take into account the latest news that the TSSA union will not strike.

UPDATE: TSSA rail union suspends Bank Holiday strike

A rail strike by members of the RMT trade union is planned for Bank Holiday Monday and Tuesday and it is likely to cause widespread disruption.

Talks to avert the strike are ongoing and operators are currently working on contingency plans but Virgin Trains and First Great Western have already announced amended timetables.

Full details of what services will run, when and where, are expected to be available from train operators by Saturday, with "overviews and summaries" available from today.

Passengers are also advised to follow Network Rail's official twitter account for up-to-date information.

Network Rail has said the industrial action will affect several train companies and a full list of those operators is at the bottom of this article.

Rail operators are expected to announce further details on services affected by the strike on Thursday. Credit: Andrew Milligan / PA Wire/PA Images

First Great Western:

First Great Western has already said the following services will be affected with no services running after 0001 Monday and throughout Tuesday :

  • North Cotswolds line, from Oxford and calling at Worcester and Hereford, or services between Didcot and Oxford

  • Beyond Plymouth to Penzance and on Devon and Cornwall branch line services

  • Reading to Gatwick Airport/Reading to Basingstoke

  • Between Swindon and Gloucester/Cheltenham

  • Between Swindon and Melksham

  • Between Bath Spa and Portsmouth Harbour

  • Between Bristol and Weymouth

  • Between Reading and Taunton

  • On Greenford Branch lines

  • On Severn Beach branch line

  • On the Devon and Cornwall line, no sleeper services will be operating on Monday or Tuesday.

First Great Western said "full refunds will be available for customers who have already bought tickets during the industrial action period and choose not to travel, and Season Ticket holders will be compensated for any days affected.

Those with tickets for travel on Monday and Tuesday will also be able to use their ticket to travel on Sunday 24th May or Wednesday 27th May, subject to any travel restrictions that would normally apply to your ticket."

Virgin Trains:

Virgin Trains has cancelled all its West Coast mainline services on Monday and Tuesday. Credit: David Parry / PA Wire/PA Images

West Coast main line operator Virgin Trains has scrapped all services on Monday and Tuesday.

There will be a very limited number of trains on its East Coast line over the two days.

  • Monday services will run until early afternoon, with the exception of routes in Scotland beyond Edinburgh, where there will be no services to and from Aberdeen, Glasgow and Inverness.

  • On Tuesday, a limited number of trains will run on London-Leeds and London-York-Newcastle routes only.

Virgin said: "Customers planning to travel on the affected dates will need to make alternative arrangements. If you are planning to travel on Sunday May 24th or Wednesday May 27th we recommend that you check before you travel for more information on how your journey may be affected.

"We appreciate that many customers will have their travel plans disrupted by the planned industrial action, so train companies have agreed to put in place special arrangements to make it easier for you to complete your journey."

London Underground/ Overground:

London Underground issued a statement which said that if the industrial action goes ahead, the following services will be affected on Monday, Tuesday and into Wednesday morning:

  • Bakerloo line: trains will not run north of Queen's Park

  • District line: there will be no service between Wimbledon and Putney Bridge after 17:00 on Monday and all day Tuesday. There will be no service between Turnham Green and Richmond all day on Monday and Tuesday

  • Waterloo & City line: no service

  • London Overground: no services will run, except between Dalston Junction and New Cross/New Cross Gate which will operate from 08:00 and 13:00 on Monday and 08:00 and 17:00 on Tuesday

Information for ticket holders:

Network Rail has issued the following guidance for ticket holders.

According to Network Rail the following operators will be affected by the national rail strike.