Train passengers face more travel chaos TODAY as services across UK crippled

Rail passengers face fresh travel chaos on Friday because of another strike by drivers in the long-running dispute over pay, which will cripple services across the country.

The 24-hour walkout by members of Aslef will severely affect timetables, with trains starting later and finishing earlier than usual, with some areas having no trains all day.

The dispute started over a year ago and remains deadlocked, with no talks planned and no sign of a breakthrough.

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Drivers will also ban overtime on Saturday, coinciding with a strike by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union in its dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Both unions blame the government for blocking any chance of a deal by refusing to allow train operators to make an offer they can recommend to their members.

Aslef said Friday’s strike will force companies to cancel services across the country and the ban on overtime will “seriously disrupt” the network as the union maintains that none of the train companies employs enough drivers to provide a proper service without drivers working on their days off.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “The Government appears happy to let passengers, and businesses, suffer in the mistaken belief that they can bully us into submission.

“They don’t care about passengers, or Britain’s railway, but they will not break us.

“Train drivers at these companies have not had a pay rise for four years, since 2019, while inflation has rocketed, We haven’t heard a word from the employers, we haven’t had a meeting, a phone call, a text message, or an email, since Wednesday April 26, and we haven’t had any contact with the Government since Friday January 6.

“This