Strike disruption for Midlands rail passengers
Rail operators have warned of major disruption in the West Midlands from today as part of a long-running dispute with train drivers union Aslef.
Union members across the country are staging a series of one-day strikes.
There are no rail services from West Midlands Trains, CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways or Avanti West Coast on Wednesday due to an ongoing row over pay.
The firms said a ban on overtime would also affect services throughout the week.
Birmingham New Street station was also closed on Wednesday so essential overhead line maintenance work could be carried out, Network Rail said.
"Without this work, there is an increased risk of the wires sagging during very warm temperatures which would cause widespread passenger disruption," a spokesperson said.
CrossCountry added that a strike among workers at other operators in the north of England on Thursday was expected to lead to more demand for its routes, particularly in Stoke-on-Trent, and warned people not to travel unless their journey was absolutely essential.
The dispute over pay dates back two years and Aslef rejected an offer of 4% rises over consecutive years when the last offer was tabled in April 2023.
The deal was accompanied by conditions that drivers accept changes to training and agreed to negotiate new working patterns.
Rail Delivery Group, which negotiates on behalf of the rail companies, said it continued to "seek a fair agreement".
Rail passengers with advance or season tickets will be able to get refunds for services that are cancelled, delayed or rescheduled due to strikes.
Steve Hopkinson, CrossCountry's service delivery director, apologised that services would be affected and said the firm would be "working hard to run as many services as possible" over the week.
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