Northamptonshire rail passengers warned of chaos on the trains as new round of strikes announced

Rail passengers in Northamptonshire are warned of a weekend of train cancellations and delays, as a fresh round of strikes are announced.

ASLEF, the trade union representing train drivers, has announced strike action and overtime bans, affecting a number of train operators, between Thursday April 4 and Tuesday April 9.

Strikes will affects both East Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway passengers on Friday April 5. Trains will not run from Northampton, Long Buckby, Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby stations on this day.

The overtime ban will affect trains from all Northamptonshire stations across the six days of action, which could see reduced services, delays or cancellations. Passengers are advised to check before they travel.

ASLEF announced the strikes on Wednesday (March 20) and said it is taking the action “to get train drivers, who have now not had a pay rise for five years, since April 2019, the salary increase they deserve”.

General secretary for ASLEF Mick Whelan said: “Our members voted overwhelmingly – yet again – for strike action. Those votes show – yet again – a clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by the Rail Delivery Group which knew that offer would be rejected because a land grab for all the terms and conditions we have negotiated over the years would never be accepted by our members.”

The union says it has called 14 one-day strikes during the 20-month dispute, with the first strike taking place in July 2022.

Long Buckby and Northampton passengers are also warned of chaos on the railway over the Easter weekend, due to engineering works. Trains will only run to Milton Keynes on Good Friday (March 29). Trains will not run at all for the rest of the weekend (Saturday March 30 to Monday April 1).

Due to these works, East Midlands Railway is warning that its services from Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough will be busier. Passengers are warned to allow extra time. Queuing systems will be in place and the company is encouraging anyone who can do so, to travel at an alternative time.