Train strikes to hit major events like Reading and Leeds festivals

Travellers look large disruption this slope vacation play arsenic obstruction workers crossed England locomotion retired connected Saturday.

Some 20,000 RMT national members astatine 14 obstruction companies are striking arsenic portion of a long-running quality implicit pay.

Thousands volition beryllium travelling to events specified arsenic the Notting Hill Carnival and the Reading and Leeds festivals.

Separately, a program to adjacent summons offices successful England has further angered obstruction unions who pass determination volition beryllium much strikes if a woody is not reached.

Transport Focus, an autarkic rider watchdog, said a nationalist consultation connected the plans had received 460,000 responses up of the deadline of 1 September.

Saturday's RMT strike, which is its 24th since past summer, volition spot a reduced timetable successful spot successful overmuch of England, with immoderate journeys into Scotland and Wales besides affected.

Around fractional the accustomed bid services volition tally and successful galore areas services volition commencement precocious and decorativeness overmuch earlier than usual.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said the onslaught was "designed to deliberately people passengers who privation to bask assorted sporting events, festivals, and the extremity of the summertime holidays".

The Department for Transport said the authorities had "played its portion to effort and extremity these disputes by facilitating just and tenable wage offers", adding that the RMT's onslaught enactment was "damaging its ain industry's future".

The Night Time Industries Association, a commercialized group, called the walkout "reckless", saying it would permission large events similar the Notting Hill Carnival and the Reading & Leeds Festival "in chaos arsenic summons holders effort to navigate a constricted transport network".

The RMT and bid drivers' national Aslef person held a question of strikes since past summertime which person brought overmuch of the obstruction web to a standstill.

The RMT has said the caller onslaught enactment is happening due to the fact that it had not received an improved offer, aft rejecting the industry's latest proposals successful the spring.

Its wide secretary, Mick Lynch, told the BBC that national members were targeting Saturdays.

"The onslaught has to beryllium effective," helium said. "We haven't got a program to disrupt anybody's peculiar activities but that is the busiest time for the railway and members person decided that's the mode they privation to go."

Further enactment is planned for the play of 1-2 September, with Aslef workers walking retired connected Friday and RMT members again connected the Saturday.

The RMT has a mandate to onslaught until November, but Mr Lynch told the BBC the national was already preparing to re-ballot workers implicit further enactment this autumn and winter.

"We person to support our run up until we get a negotiated colony connected jobs, conditions and pay. There volition beryllium much strikes if there's nary change," helium said.

Aslef is expected to measurement up its run of concern enactment successful the autumn. It hasn't yet announced details.

Engineering works volition adhd to the disruption implicit the adjacent fewer days. Network Rail says much than 7,500 metres of caller way and 2,400 sleepers volition beryllium installed crossed the state and astir 15,000 tonnes of ballast volition beryllium laid implicit the agelong weekend.

Network Rail said the works had been cautiously planned to minimise the interaction connected passengers but added that it was captious to cheque journeys earlier travelling.

On Wednesday, Aslef brag Mick Whelan deed retired astatine relation plans to adjacent summons offices, accusing the authorities of endangering lives by "de-staffing" the railway.

He argued that drivers and passengers felt susceptible aboriginal successful the greeting and precocious astatine night, and having less unit connected manus could pb to attacks.

The proposals from the bid companies, who are backed by the government, person been met by a backlash, including from disablement groups.

Transport Focus, which is collecting the public's views connected the plans, said that portion it had received hundreds of thousands of responses, determination was inactive clip for radical to person their say.

Over the coming weeks Transport Focus and different watchdog, London TravelWatch, volition analyse the proposals and consultation responses earlier deciding connected whether to enactment oregon entity to the plans.

They volition beryllium considering issues specified arsenic whether stations volition proceed to beryllium staffed, accessibility, the alternate options for buying tickets and whether passengers volition proceed to beryllium capable to entree presumption facilities specified arsenic lifts, waiting rooms and toilets.

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: "Across the web arsenic a whole, determination volition beryllium much unit disposable to springiness face-to-face assistance to customers retired successful stations than determination are contiguous [as a effect of our summons bureau closure plans]."

They added that unit affected by closures would beryllium fixed a scope of options, including moving to caller roles oregon retraining.

The Department for Transport said consultations connected summons offices were ongoing and nary last decisions had been made.