Further strike action is to take place on South Western Railways tomorrow, Wednesday (27th July). Disruption is expected with train operators and Network Rail staff both striking.
During the strike, planned train services on the Woking to Waterloo mainline will be significantly reduced to 4 trains per hour between the hours of 7.30 and 18.30. No service will operate on the line through Runnymede calling at Addlestone, Chertsey, Virginia Water and Egham. The Waterloo to Windsor line will operate on a very reduced scale from Staines. Information and updates will be published by SWR at https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/industrial-action
SWR has advised that rail services will also face disruption the morning after strike action with the possibility of no services before 7.30, and passengers are advised to check train times before planning their journeys.
Passengers are advised to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary, to seek alternative arrangements if possible. If you must travel it is likely services will face severe disruption.
As I have highlighted regarding the previous strike action, these strikes are incredibly disruptive and damaging to local residents and businesses. I am deeply disappointed with the hugely self-indulgent and out of touch actions of the RMT Union in calling strike action before meaningful negotiations have even begun.
I am pleased that the Government has changed the law to enable companies to use skilled, temporary agency staff to temporarily cover essential roles for the duration of a strike, while retaining compliance with existing health and safety regulations and contractual obligations designed to keep both employees and the public safe I hope these changes will mitigate the impact of future rail strikes.
