Train strikes: Full list of October 2023 dates and rail lines affected as Tube action called off

Thousands of rail workers and train drivers are going on strike this month – with an overtime ban which started on Monday and mass disruption expected today.

But planned industrial action by London Underground workers has been cancelled, it was announced on Tuesday.

RMT (the Rail, Maritime and Transport union) and ASLEF (The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) members are striking in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.

ASLEF represents drivers, whereas the RMT represents workers from many different sectors of the rail industry – including station staff and guards.

Here is everything you need to know about which services are affected this week.

London Underground

Tube workers had been planning to walk out on Wednesday 4 October and Friday 6 October.

The industrial action would have “severely affected” most underground lines and there would have been no night tube on 6 October, either.

But on Tuesday unions announced the planned strikes have been called off.

Around 3,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) had been due to walk out during the two days of strikes.

The RMT said that following talks at the conciliation service Acas it has managed to save jobs, prevent detrimental changes to rosters and secure protection of earnings around grading changes.

The union said: “The significant progress means that key elements have been settled although there remains wider negotiations to be had in the job, pensions and working agreements dispute.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “I congratulate all our members who were prepared to take strike action and our negotiations team for securing this victory in our Tube dispute.

“Without the unity and industrial power of our members, there is no way we would have been able to make the progress we have.”

Avanti West Coast

Avanti West Coast will not be operating any services on Wednesday 4 October.

Customers who booked tickets to travel on these days can claim a full, fee-free refund from their point of purchase.

Customers with pre-booked tickets for travel on a strike day can use their ticket the day before or the two days after.

Avanti plans to run its normal timetable during overtime bans, but recommends you check before you travel as the impact will vary from route to route.

C2C

There will be no C2C service on Wednesday 4 October.

On days when overtime bans are in place, there will be a reduced peak time service and a reduced frequency of two trains per hour during off-peak hours across all routes.

First and last trains will be unaffected.

Chiltern Railways

There will be no Chiltern Railways services on Wednesday 4 October on any routes.

Although industrial action on the London Underground has been suspended, there will be impacts on Chiltern Railways services at the London end of the route.

On 5 and 6 October no services will be calling at stations including; Harrow-on-the-Hill, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Chalfont & Latimer and Amersham. This is until after 8am on Thursday and all day on Friday.

On Saturday 7 October, no Chiltern Railways services will call at South Ruislip until after 8am.

Chiltern Railways will be running an amended timetable during the week of overtime bans, which travellers can check here.

CrossCountry

There will be no CrossCountry services on Wednesday 4 October.

Some services will be amended during overtime ban dates. You can view the list of trains affected on each day here.

Read more:
Cost of living latest – with Airbnb tips

East Midlands Railway

There will be no East Midlands Railway service on Wednesday 4 October.

East Midlands says its journey planners have now been updated for days where an overtime ban is in place. Check here for updates.

GTR

GTR, also known as Govia Thameslink Railway, is the UK’s biggest railway franchise and operates Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express.

It says there will be no Thameslink, Great Northern or Gatwick Express services operating on Wednesday 4 October.

A limited Southern shuttle service will run, calling at Gatwick Airport and London Victoria only.

Services on Thursday 5 October will begin much later than normal in the aftermath of the strike the day before, with some routes having no services before 7am.

On days when an overtime ban is in place, GTR says an amended timetable with fewer services will run.

The usual non-stop Gatwick Express service between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and Brighton will not run.

To help customers, extra stops at Clapham Junction and East Croydon have been added, so these trains will be operating as Southern services.

Gatwick Express tickets will be valid on Southern and Thameslink at no additional cost.

Find out more about each of GTR’s lines by clicking on their names at the top of this section.

Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway (GWR) will be operating a reduced and revised timetable on Wednesday 4 October.

Many parts of the network will have no service at all. Services that go ahead will start from 7.30am and all journeys must be completed by 6.30pm.

GWR says there are likely to be short-notice alterations or cancellations to its services on days when overtime bans are in place.

You can check GWR’s website for updates nearer the time.

Greater Anglia and Stansted Express

Reduced services are expected to run on both strike and overtime ban days.

You can click here to see what plans are in place on all affected dates.

Heathrow Express

On the strike day of 4 October, there will be fewer trains going to Heathrow Airport and they will start later and finish earlier.

Trains will run between Paddington and Heathrow between 7.40am and 6.25pm.

Services between Terminal 5 and Paddington will run between 7.42am and 6.57pm.

And there will be trains between 7.47am and 7.02pm from Heathrow Central into Paddington.

The Elizabeth Line will service customers travelling from London to Heathrow.

Heathrow has not announced any changes during overtime bans. Click here for more information about its services.

LNER

LNER services will run on an “extremely limited timetable” during 4 October, with minor alterations on days before and after them.

You can find more details here.

London Northwestern Railway

There will be no London Northwestern Railway (LNR) service on Wednesday 4 October.

It will have buses in place of trains between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey on days when there are overtime bans.

You’ll be able to see what impact the overtime ban will have on LNR via journey planners.

Northern

There will be no Northern service in operation on Wednesday 4 October, and no rail replacement bus services.

Days affected by overtime bans are likely to cause some short-notice alterations or cancellations. You can check here for updates.

Southwestern Railway

An extremely limited service will operate on a small number of lines during strike days, and most of the Southwestern Railway mainland network will be closed. There will be no service on the Island Line.

Customers are advised to only travel if absolutely necessary.

Reduced services will operate across the mainland South Western Railway network on overtime ban days, with an hourly service on the Island Line.

Find out more here.

Southeastern

There will be no Southeastern service in operation on any routes on strike days.

Southeastern expects to run a full service during overtime ban periods.

TransPennine

No TransPennine Express service will run on any route during the strike on Wednesday 4 October.

There will also be some early morning and late evening alterations on the days before or after a strike day.

TransPennine Express plans to run its normal timetable during overtime ban days but warns there could be significant disruption to your journey, so be sure to check before you travel.

West Midlands Railway

There will be no West Midlands Railway service on Wednesday 4 October.

On days when the overtime ban is in place, reduced train services will operate between Birmingham New Street and Hereford and Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury – and a bus service will replace trains between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa via Coventry.

The overtime bans may lead to amended timetables and on-the-day cancellations, particularly if there is disruption to services, so check before you travel.

How you can remain up-to-date

You can tap any of the links provided above to check for updates on specific lines.

National Rail urges anyone hoping to travel on strike and overtime ban days to use its Journey Planner to keep an eye on how services will be affected.

Any journey accompanied by a yellow warning triangle means the information is still subject to change.

Most journeys should now be up to date on the planner.