South Western Railway Announces Planned Strike Day Timetable
Much reduced services during RMT industrial action
2,100 of SWR's staff are RMT members
South Western Railway (SWR) have announced that it plans to run the same timetable as was operating during last month's strikes for the next round of industrial action.
Significant parts of the network will be closed entirely and those trains that are running will be far less frequent compared to normal. 2,100 of the company's staff are RMT members and they will be walking out as part of a broader national dispute.
This means that on Wednesday 27 July between 7.15am and 6.30pm there will be four trains an hour running between Waterloo and Windsor serving stations on the Hounslow Loop which includes Brentford, Chiswick, Isleworth, Kew Bridge and Syon Lane.
This service will also provide the only trains serving Putney, Barnes, Barnes Bridge and Wandsworth Town.
In addition, four trains an hour will run between Woking and Waterloo calling at Wimbledon. Southern Rail also serves Wimbledon and during the last strikes it attempted to run a Sunday service.
There will also be non-stopping trains running a reduced service from Basingstoke and Southampton.
Services will start much later than usual on Thursday 28 July with first trains set to be very busy
SWR is urging passengers only to travel by rail if absolutely necessary on Wednesday 27 July and to expect severe disruption.
Network Rail will provide contingency cover for critical roles including electrical control room operators, signallers, maintenance and response teams, but will not be able to cover the whole day.
It is not known at this stage what level of service there will be on London Overground. Part of that network is dependent on signallers who are members of the RMT.
The RMT has announced further strikes will be taking place on Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August. SWR will be publishing service level information for this period in due course.
SWR’s Managing Director, Claire Mann, said, “We are sorry that strikes will again cause such disruption, and we are grateful to our customers for their continued cooperation, patience, and understanding as the rail industry works to end this damaging nationwide strike action.”
The 24-hour stoppage comes after Network Rail made an offer of 4% in the first year followed by a possible 4% in the second year, conditional on RMT members accepting changes to their terms and conditions. The Train Operating Companies, including SWR are yet to make a pay offer to their staff or give guarantees over job losses.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The offer from Network Rail represents a real terms pay cut for our members and the paltry sum is conditional on RMT members agreeing to drastic changes in their working lives.
"We have made progress on compulsory redundancies. But Network Rail are still seeking to make our members poorer when we have won in some cases double what they are offering, with other rail operators.
"The train operating companies remain stubborn and are refusing to make any new offer which deals with job security and pay.
"Strike action is the only course open to us to make both the rail industry and government understand that this dispute will continue for as long as it takes, until we get a negotiated settlement.
"The public who will be inconvenienced by our strike action need to understand that it is the government's shackling of Network Rail and the TOCs that means the rail network will be shut down for 24 hours.
"We remain open for further talks."
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July 20, 2022