Strikes tend to mean services on lines where members are participating are extremely affected or cancelled entirely, whereas overtime bans often lead to reduced services.
This means that even if there isn’t a full strike on a service you plan to use between now and 9 December, the overtime ban could still affect your journey.
How can I stay in the loop?
You can use the National Rail’s journey planner to see when trains are running.
Be sure to check it close to when you plan to travel, as it will be updated regularly.
Why are the strikes still happening?
ASLEF rejected a two-year offer of 4% in 2022 and another 4% this year, saying it is way below inflation, and is linked to changes in terms and conditions.
The union has already agreed wage rises with 14 companies in the past year, including freight operators, Eurostar and passenger operators in Scotland and Wales, so its only ongoing dispute is with English train companies.
The strikes come days after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union voted overwhelmingly to accept a deal to end their long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
What has been said about the strikes?
ASLEF says the new walkouts will “ratchet up the pressure” on train companies and the government to give train drivers their first pay rise in more than four years.
Image: ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan on a picket line at Euston station
The union’s general secretary Mick Whelan said: “We are determined to win this dispute and get a significant pay rise for train drivers who have not had an increase since 2019, while the cost of living, in that time, has soared.
“The transport secretary, who has gone missing in action during this dispute, says we should put the offer to our members.
“What the minister apparently fails to understand is that, since the Rail Delivery Group’s (RDG) risible offer in April, we have received overwhelming mandates, on enormous turnouts, for more industrial action.
“We will continue to take industrial action until the train companies – and/or the government – sits down and negotiates with us in good faith.”
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, said the latest offer was “fair and affordable” and would take average driver salaries from £60,000 to nearly £65,000.
‘A perfectly fair and reasonable offer’
ASLEF has been criticised by the government and train operators for not putting the latest pay offer to its members for a vote.
In recent comments about the dispute with ASLEF, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “There is, most people think, a perfectly fair and reasonable offer on the table and I genuinely don’t understand why ASLEF won’t put it to their members.
“It would take the average pay of a train driver from £60,000 for a 35-hour four-day week to just under £65,000 for the same working week.
“Now I think most people will think that’s quite reasonable.
“But the most important thing is, it’s on the table, and I hope ASLEF put it to their members.”
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 40-year-old woman was shot dead in South Wales.
The woman was found with serious injuries just after 6pm on Sunday and died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.
She was discovered in the Green Park area of Talbot Green, a town about 15 miles west of Cardiff.
A 42-year-old local man is in police custody.
Detective Chief Inspector James Morris said: “I understand the concern this will cause the local community, and I want to reassure people that a team of experienced detectives are already working at pace to piece together the events of last night.”
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
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Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
A man has been charged after climbing up the tower of Big Ben, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Daniel Day, 29, of Palmerston Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, faces charges of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and trespassing on a protected site.
He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.
Police were called to reports of a man climbing up Elizabeth Tower at 7.24am on Saturday.
The man was carrying a Palestinian flag and remained barefoot on a ledge for more than 16 hours before being lifted to the ground in a cherry picker just after midnight.
Westminster Bridge was forced to close to traffic during the morning, as tourists in central London stood around watching the spectacle.
Police said specialist officers worked with the fire brigade “to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimising risk to life”.