Doncaster LNER passengers warned of disruption amid fresh round of strikes

Despite strike action by ASLEF drivers, the firm has said it will still run more than 40 services between London, Edinburgh and West Yorkshire on Thursday.

A spokesperson said: “This is equivalent to approx 26% of our usual timetable.”

The full timetable can be found HERE and passengers are being advised to check out details of services before making travel plans.

The union said members have walked out as part of a two-year long dispute over pay and working conditions, with a number of other operators impacted across the course of the week.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said a pay rise which would take train drivers’ average salaries up to £65,000 – almost twice the UK average salary – had been offered.

As well as today, strikes will also be held on Wednesday, while drivers are also banning overtime until Saturday, which is also causing disruption.

Passengers are being urged to check before attempting to travel by train due to the dispute, which is now the longest ever in the rail industry.

No formal talks between the operators and the union have been held for a year, but the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has invited Aslef to talks.

Aslef said its members have not had a pay rise for five years and accused the government of “giving up” trying to resolve the dispute which has hit thousands of passengers.

A spokesman for the RDG says the strikes will “inflict further damage on an industry that is receiving up to an additional £54m a week in taxpayer cash to keep services running, following the Covid downturn”.

“We can only apologise to our customers for this wholly unnecessary strike action called by the Aslef leadership which will sadly disrupt journeys once again,” he said.

A DfT spokesman added: “Aslef are the only union left striking after the government oversaw deals with all the other unions.

“Instead of causing passengers disruption, they should put this offer to their members and work with industry to end this dispute.”