West Midlands Railway has issued an 'only travel if necessary' warning as a strike is set to cause significant disruption across the region today and tomorrow. Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are walking out over a pay dispute on Friday, May 22, and Saturday, May 23.
Dispute Over Rest Day Pay
The industrial action involves roster clerks, duty train crew managers, and control staff, affecting both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services. TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said workers are seeking parity with other unions on rest day pay, but West Midlands Trains has not met their demands.
“As things stand these strikes will go ahead as planned because the company is simply refusing to give our members parity with those in other unions,” she said. “That is an intolerable situation, especially given the fact these are modest demands.”
She added that the union remains open to further discussions and only takes strike action as a last resort.
Full List of Affected Routes
West Midlands Railway warns passengers to expect a very limited service on both days, advising: “We advise you to only travel if necessary as trains will only run on a small number of routes.” Services will operate on a reduced timetable with no trains after 7pm on Friday and a later 7am start on Saturday.
Routes with a limited service include:
- Cross City Line (Lichfield Trent Valley – Redditch / Bromsgrove via Birmingham New Street) – two trains per hour
- Wolverhampton – Walsall via Birmingham New Street – one train per hour
- Rugeley Trent Valley – Birmingham International via Birmingham New Street – one train per hour
No trains will run on any other WMR route, including all routes via Birmingham Snow Hill, the Camp Hill Line, Shrewsbury Line, Hereford Line, and between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa. Services may also be formed of fewer carriages and subject to cancellations.
London Northwestern Railway also warns of a very limited service, with only one train per hour on the Birmingham to Liverpool route and the Birmingham – Northampton – Milton Keynes – London Euston route.
Passengers are advised to check their entire journey before travelling and to be prepared for significant disruption.
