Rail strike – Days to work from home in June to sidestep travel strike chaos across the UK

With the biggest rail strike in decades looming, workers are being advised to only travel if absolutely necessary as thousands of lines are set to be axed as workers pull out over wage and pension fears

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Rachel Reeves accuses the government of an imminent train strike

Massive rail strikes spanning several days will wreak havoc on commuters and travelers this month, with train users being told to work from home if they can.

The public are being urged to retreat into their coronavirus pandemic by logging in to work from home to avoid disruption as transport workers go on three-day strike next week

Is your railway line affected? Check the complete list of all striking lines as well as all stations affected by the strikes.

The problem is compounded when London Underground workers also take part in industrial action for a day, causing potential chaos for tourists and travelers in the capital.

Rail bosses are urging the public to stay and work from home if possible, and passenger groups are warning those who have to commute to work face protracted disruption.

What days are the rail strikes in June?

There will be industrial action across the network on Tuesday 21st June, Thursday 23rd June and Saturday 25th June.

The number of passenger services on these days is expected to be limited to around 4,500 versus 20,000 normally.

The tube strike is taking place on Tuesday and is adding to the misery of passengers on London connections.

The strikes and what is at stake

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators are scheduled to strike for three days next week over wages, jobs and pensions.

The strikes will be the biggest eruption of industrial action in the industry in a generation, with more unions voting to potentially follow suit.

Lines will only be open between 7.30am and 6.30pm, meaning services will start later and end earlier than usual.

Thousands of passenger services are expected to be canceled due to staff shortages.

The list of routes affected by the strikes

Network Rail has warned that half of Britain’s rail routes will be closed during the June industrial action.

The railway operator said no passenger services will serve places such as Penzance in Cornwall, Bournemouth in Dorset, Swansea in South Wales, Holyhead in North Wales, Chester in Cheshire and Blackpool, Lancashire.

There will also be no passenger trains going north from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said the strikes would cause “enormous damage” and urged people “only to travel if really necessary”.

This could mean millions of people in the UK who have readjusted to office work after the pandemic could return to working from home to avoid long queues and waits for trains.

What is the June subway strike about?

The RMT and Unite are on strike in a separate row on the London Underground on Tuesday 21 June over jobs and payments to the national railway.

When Unite announced it would join the strike already planned by the RMT, it said 1,000 of its members in London would take action over pay and warned of plans to cut pensions.

It’s not yet known how many services will operate on Tuesday, but when a similar strike broke out after the Platinum Jubilee weekend, many subway lines were partially running and some stations were closed.

Transport for London have insisted no decisions or proposals have been made on salary and pension changes.