Train strikes: West Midlands Railway strike update on services for Wednesday & Saturday

Services around the UK came to a halt over the weekend as more than 40,000 union members staged a 24-hour walkout over pay and conditions, and passengers are being warned to expect similar disruption this week as several unions stage separate industrial action.

Train drivers represented by Aslef will walk out on Wednesday 5 October while around 40,000 members of the RMT will follow suit on Saturday 8 October.

The Conservative Party conference in Birmingham also concludes on Wednesday, with the rail strike set to impact many of those attending the event who would have been relying on the trains to travel home tomorrow.

How will the strike impact journeys in the West Midlands?

West Midlands Railway services will not operate on any route tomorrow. Some early morning services on Thursday 6 October 2022 will also be impacted, due to displacement of trains.

Birmingham New Street will also be closed with no trains running on Wednesday. There will also be no services from Birmingham Moor Street or Snow Hill due to the strikes.

Some operators will run reduced services on Wednesday, including Great Western Railway.

An extremely limited service will operate, with services starting at 07:30 and stopping at 18:30. Rail services will only operate on the following routes: between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington; between Reading and Oxford; between Reading and Basingstoke.

What about Saturday, 8 October?

A significantly reduced West Midlands Railway timetable will be running on Saturday 8 October between the hours of 7.30am and 6.30pm on the below routes only. Some early morning services on Sunday 9 October may also be impacted due to displacement of trains.

Routes where a very limited service will be in operation (between 7.30am and 6.30pm only):

• Cross City line (between Lichfield - Birmingham - Bromsgrove / Redditch)
• Birmingham New Street - Wolverhampton via local stations, and Birmingham New Street - Crewe
• Birmingham New Street - Birmingham International, Coventry - Northampton and Northampton - London Euston (due to engineering works, buses replace trains between Birmingham International - Coventry on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October 2022)

West Midlands Railway services will not be running on any other route on this date.

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