More rail strikes today amid fresh driver walkout – and some areas will have no trains at all
Rail strikes across the UK are set to escalate today as drivers begin a new walkout – meaning some areas will have no trains at all.
Although 48 hours of industrial action by the RMT union has now come to an end, members of the Aslef union are now striking as part of a long-running dispute over pay.
New year, new strikes – who is walking out and when
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Drivers at 15 rail companies are involved, and here is how commuters will be affected:
• Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Northern, Southern, Southeastern, Thameslink and TransPennine Express will run no trains all day
• Rail links to the UK’s two busiest airports will be cut, with Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express shutting down
• Trains will run in Wales, most of Scotland, and on parts of the South Western Railway network
• Services are also going to operate on the London Overground and Elizabeth Line
Overall, it’s estimated that just 20% of normal services will run – with passengers facing a third consecutive day of extensive disruption during the first working week of 2023.
And further strikes are looming, with the RMT set to stage another 48-hour strike on Friday and Saturday.
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The Aslef union represents train drivers, and its general secretary Mick Whelan has warned that additional walkouts are “inevitable”.
Threatening that strike action could escalate even further, Mr Whelan said: “The situation is getting worse and my members now want to go harder and faster because of the lack of progress.”
He added: “It is inevitable that more strikes will be held and probably escalate.”
Rishi Sunak is considering measures that could allow employers to sue trade unions and sack workers, according to a report in The Times.
It’s claimed that this new law would apply to six sectors: the health service, railways, education, fire services, border security and nuclear energy.
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The newspaper also suggests that a significant pay rise for public sector workers is also under consideration in an attempt to end the industrial action.
Yesterday, the prime minister insisted that his door is always open, adding: “You’ll hear more from the government in the coming days about our approach.”
And while Mr Sunak said people should have the right to strike, he warned: “That has to be balanced with the right of the British public to go about their lives without suffering undue disruption in the way we’ve seen recently.”
A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.
Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.
The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.
“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.
The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.
In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon
Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.
The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.
It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”
Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.
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