Greater Anglia is advising people to avoid travelling on its trains on Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August when very few services will be running due to rail strikes. People travelling to major events including West Ham’s Europa Conference League qualifying match against Viborg on Thursday, Coldplay at Wembley Stadium and the All Points East festival at Victoria Park on Saturday, plus football fixtures on Saturday including Tottenham Hotspur v Wolves are advised to make other travel arrangements. The RMT union has called a national rail strike for Thursday and Saturday, which includes Network Rail signalling and maintenance staff as well as Greater Anglia station teams, conductors, train cleaners and catering staff. Greater Anglia, including Stansted Express, will run a heavily reduced service with first trains from 7.30am and all last trains finishing their journeys between 6-6.30pm. There will be no services on any regional and branch lines, apart from the Cambridge to Stansted Airport service which will run on Saturday 20 August, but not on Thursday 18 August. A heavily reduced service will run on lines into London Liverpool Street from Norwich, Colchester, and Southend Victoria, and on the Stansted Express service between London and Stansted Airport. A reduced service between Cambridge and London Liverpool Street will run on Thursday 18 August, but not on Saturday 20 August. There will be no rail replacement bus service operating instead of any of the trains which are not running because of the strikes. In addition, there are engineering works on Saturday and Sunday which will further affect Stansted Express services. First train times will be later than usual on Friday 19 and Sunday 21 August, as a knock-on effect of the 24-hour strikes. Passengers should check before they travel. On Sunday 21 August there will be no direct trains between Cambridge and Liverpool Street and on the Stansted Express service due to engineering works. Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director said: “We’re very sorry that once again we must advise people to avoid travelling on our trains, but we can only operate a very limited service – with a later start time and last trains running much earlier than normal. “We continue to work hard as an industry to end these disputes as soon as we can, so that people can once again enjoy reliable and punctual rail services without disruption.” Anyone who has pre-booked tickets to travel on 18 or 20 August can change them, use them to travel on either the day before or up to and include Tuesday 23 August, or apply for a refund by going back to their original retailer. Passenger assistance will be available at all stations which are staffed. Greater Anglia will provide alternative transport for people needing passenger assistance from stations which are unstaffed but still served by trains. There will be no alternative transport from stations where no trains are running on strike days. Travellers needing passenger assistance are strongly advised to contact Greater Anglia’s passenger assist service if travel is absolutely necessary on strike days. Timetables for Thursday’s strike are now available on the Greater Anglia website. Timetables for Saturday will be published later in the week. No more strike dates have been announced, although there is a strike affecting London Underground on Friday 19 August. Unions have to give two weeks’ notice of any industrial action. More information about the strikes is available from greateranglia.co.uk/strikes. Services on Thursday 18 August
- Intercity service between Norwich and London Liverpool Street: one train an hour, with first and last trains from Norwich at 08.00 and 16.00, and from Liverpool Street at 08.30 and 16.30
- Stopping service between Colchester and London Liverpool Street: one train an hour, with first and last trains from Colchester at 07.30 and 16.25, and from Liverpool Street at 08.00 and 17.00 stopping service, 17.25 stopping at Chelmsford and Colchester
- Service between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street: two trains an hour, with first and last trains from Southend Victoria at 07.30 and 17.13, and from Liverpool Street at 07.47 and 17.30
- Service between Cambridge and London Liverpool Street: one train an hour, with first and last trains from Cambridge at 08.20 and 16.19, and from Liverpool Street at 08.25 and 16.25.
- Stansted Express service between London and Stansted Airport: two trains an hour, with first and last trains from Stansted Airport at 07.42 and 17.12, and from Liverpool Street at 08.10 and 17.40
Services on Saturday 20 August
- Intercity service between Norwich and London Liverpool Street: one train an hour, with first and last trains from Norwich at 08.00 and 16.00, and from Liverpool Street at 08.30 and 16.30
- Stopping service between Colchester and London Liverpool Street: one train an hour, with first and last trains from Colchester at 07.30 and 16.25, and from Liverpool Street at 08.00 and 17.25
- Service between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street: two trains an hour, with first and last trains from Southend Victoria at 07.30 and 17.13, and from Liverpool Street at 07.47 and 17.30
- No direct Stansted Express service – airport travellers are advised to make alternative arrangements. Very limited rail replacement bus service between Waltham Cross and Harlow Mill (not calling at Harlow Town), connecting with trains which are operating with two trains per hour with first and last trains from Liverpool Street at 07.30 and 16.28 and from Stansted Airport at 07.47 and 16.17. Buses are expected to be very busy with long queues all day.
- Cambridge to Stansted Airport service, one train an hour with first and last trains from Cambridge at 07.41 and 17.41 and from Stansted Airport at 07.39 and 17.39.
Photo Credit: Greater Anglia
