Train drivers announce two further strike days

Train drivers have announced two further days of strike action in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

Members of the ASLEF union are to walk out on 30 September and 4 October.

There will also be an overtime ban across the UK rail network on 29 September and from 2 October until 6 October.

ASLEF said there would be no services on strike days and the overtime ban would "seriously disrupt" the network.

The move has been timed to coincide with the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester and will mean virtually no trains run the day before or on the final day of the event.

The 16 train companies affected include: Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; c2c; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; Great Western Railway; Island Line; LNER; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.

Mick Whelan, ASLEF's general secretary, said that while the union regretted taking the action, "the government, and the employers, have forced us into this position".

ASLEF has called 12 one-day strikes since the dispute began 16 months ago.

Transport secretary Mark Harper said the latest strikes were "cynical" and "politically motivated".

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, he said: "Train drivers are paid an average of £60k for a 35-hour, 4 day week.

"There's an offer on the table to take that up to £65k - and still they strike, putting their own jobs at risk."

UKHospitality estimated the cumulative effect of the series of strikes between last autumn and earlier this spring cost the sector £3.25b.