Christmas rail misery returns for Avanti West Coast passengers as RMT calls strike

Over the past few years, rail strikes have become as synonymous with Christmas as Mariah Carey and Wham!.

The incoming Labour government vowed to “move fast and fix things” in transport; ministers and officials quickly settled the train drivers’ dispute with a 15 per cent pay award covering three years.

But stoppages are back for Christmas 2024 on the intercity network linking London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland.

Train managers belonging to the RMT union and working for Avanti West Coast will walk out on some of the busiest days of the winter: Sunday 22, Monday 23 and Sunday 29 December.

Most Avanti trains connecting the capital with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow will be cancelled, affecting tens of thousands of travellers.

At the heart of the dispute: what the RMT calls “inadequate proposals on rest day working arrangements”.

The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Train managers are being treated unfairly compared to senior managers, who receive significant payments for covering these roles.”

Avanti’s latest proposals were rejected by 92.8 per cent of members on a turnout of 81 per cent – representing three-quarters of those polled.

Mr Lynch said: “Avanti West Coast’s proposals have been decisively rejected by our train managers, sending a clear message to management that the current arrangements are unacceptable.

“Our members have had enough, and this strike action demonstrates their determination to win a fair deal.

“It’s time for Avanti to put forward serious proposals that reflect the vital contribution of our train managers to the railway.

“We remain ready to reach a negotiated settlement and we urge management to show they are serious about resolving this dispute.”

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “At one of our busiest and most important times of the year when our customers should be making journeys to visit family or friends during the holiday period, they will now face significant disruption because of these strikes.

“We are disappointed RMT have voted to decline the very reasonable offer made to them to resolve the rest day working dispute and prevent inconvenience to those many people who will be travelling on the West Coast main line over this time.

“We will continue to work with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

On the strike dates, Avanti West Coast services will be extremely limited. The reduced timetable for 22 and 23 December will be published on 14 December. Passengers who already have tickets for those dates can use their ticket for any alternative Avanti West Coast service between 16 and 24 December.

Those booked to travel on 29 December can take an alternative service between 28 December and 3 January.

The strike will put extra pressure on train operators that run parallel routes to Avanti, including London Northwestern, Chiltern, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express.

With some passengers switching to cars, it will also add to motorway congestion.

Between Scotland and London, some travellers will fly instead. On the Glasgow-London Heathrow route for 22 December, some British Airways one-way fares have risen to nearly £500, but much cheaper tickets – around £70 – are available earlier in the day.