Railway staff are set to stage another day of strike action which could affect commuters across Hertfordshire and Essex.
Some rail firms in the county have suspended all their trains on Wednesday, October 5 due to a strike by the Aslef train drivers' trade union.
The walkout - an extension of strike action which began on Saturday, October 1 - will trigger a complete shutdown of the London Northwestern Railway network, which runs through some of the largest destinations in Hertfordshire, including St Albans, Hemel Hempstead and Watford.
Greater Anglia will run a slimmed-down service, with no trains expected at Hertford East, Broxbourne, Audley End, Cambridge, Braintree or Harwich.
Aslef organisers are demanding pay increases for union members and warned that with consumer price index inflation around the 10 per cent mark, a failure to increase train drivers' wages amounts to a significant real-terms pay cut.
A union statement reads: "Train drivers who kept the country moving through the pandemic have not had a pay increase since 2019.
"We are asking for pay which keeps pace with the cost of living.
"Aslef reps have consistently come to the table to negotiate in good faith but employers are unable make a realistic pay offer due to restrictions in contracts they signed with the Department for Transport."
Daniel Mann is director of industry operations at the Rail Delivery Group, which represents railway firms throughout the country.
He said: "These strikes disrupt the travel plans of millions of passengers and undermine businesses who continue to struggle with rising costs and this continued action will only further damage the railway’s recovery."
Affected routes include:
Avanti West Coast
No trains will run on the entire Avanti West Coast network due to the Aslef strike.
A statement reads: "Due to the industrial action by drivers on October 5, please do not attempt to travel on Avanti West Coast – we will not be running any services on our routes and many of our stations will be closed."
C2c
Services will be unaffected by strike action.
A statement reads: "The strike action on October 5 will not affect C2c services but trains may be busier than usual."
Caledonian Sleeper
Services will be unaffected by strike action.
A statement reads: "We are aware of the rail industry strike action announced for October 5.
"Caledonian Sleeper staff are not part of this dispute and our services will be operating as normal on this date."
Chiltern Railways
No trains will run on the entire Chiltern Railways network due to the Aslef strike.
A statement reads: "There will be no Chiltern Railways service on any route on October 5."
Greater Anglia
Limited service out of London Liverpool Street:
- Norwich to London Intercity (first train - 8am, last train - 7pm)
- Colchester to London (first train - 8.13am, last train 8.13pm)
- Southend Victoria to London (first train - 8.13am, last train 10pm)
- London to Norwich Intercity (first train - 9.55am, last train - 9.30pm)
- London to Colchester (first train - 9.55am, last train - 10pm)
- London to Southend Victoria (first train - 9.47am, last train - 11.45pm)
Also limited service on the Stansted Express route between London, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Stansted Airport. An hourly service is planned, although not all stops will be served by every train.
Northbound (Liverpool Street to Stansted), the first train is due at 4.10am and last train at 11.25pm.
Southbound (Stansted to Liverpool Street), the first train is due at 5.30am and last train at 11.42pm.
No service on other West Anglia routes, including at Broxbourne, Ware, Hertford East, Audley End, Whittlesford Parkway, Cambridge and Ely.
No service on branch lines or regional routes in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
A statement reads: "Please avoid travelling with us.
"Our service will be heavily reduced and disrupted, and most routes will not have trains or bus replacements for them."
Great Northern
Timetables will be unaffected by strike action.
A statement reads: "Other operators have been notified of industrial action on October 5 by the Aslef union.
"Our services are expected to be extremely busy as a result."
Hull Trains
One train in each direction due to strike action by Aslef members.
Southbound, one train is set to leave Hull at 8.24am and arrive in London King's Cross at 11.08am - via Brough, Howden, Selby, Doncaster, Retford and Grantham.
Northbound, one train is set to leave London King's Cross at 11.48am and arrive in Hull at 2.25pm - via Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden and Brough.
Neither service is due to call at Stevenage in Hertfordshire.
A statement reads: "Industrial action will take place on October 5.
"This action is coordinated across other train companies so multiple operators will be affected."
LNER
Limited service due to strike action by Aslef members.
Trains are due to run between London King's Cross, Stevenage and Leeds or Edinburgh only.
A statement reads: "LNER is running a limited number of trains on October 5."
Northbound trains from London King's Cross are due to run from 7.06am.
Southbound trains are due to run from 7.15am (Leeds), 7.30am (Edinburgh) and 7.33am (Newcastle).
A statement reads: "When you're travelling on our trains during industrial action, some services may be different, including timetables and catering onboard."
London Northwestern
No trains will run on the entire London Northwestern or West Midlands Trains networks due to the Aslef strike.
A statement reads: "London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services will not operate on any route on this day."
London Overground
No trains will run on the entire London Overground network due to the Aslef strike.
London Underground
Services will be unaffected by strike action.
Lumo
Lumo is not due to run any trains on Wednesday, October 5 due to engineering works in the Newcastle area.
Southern
Timetables will be unaffected by strike action.
A statement reads: "Other operators have been notified of industrial action on October 5 by the Aslef union.
"Our services are expected to be extremely busy as a result."
Thameslink
Timetables will be unaffected by strike action.
A statement reads: "Other operators have been notified of industrial action on October 5 by the Aslef union.
"Our services are expected to be extremely busy as a result."
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