Everything you need to know

Train strikes December 2023

Right now, there are no further train strikes planned for the rest of the year. That means no walkouts in October, November, or December 2023 – but don’t get excited just yet. 

Unions don’t like to give much notice when organising new strike action. In fact, they only legally have to give 14 days. So, more could very easily be called over the coming months. 

Two of Britain’s biggest rail unions, ASLEF and the RMT, are still in dispute with rail bosses and the government over pay and working conditions and have been since June 2022.

The strikes won’t stop until a new deal is reached and workers get a pay rise – so you should expect more industrial action in the coming months.

Check National Rail’s strikes page

The best place to find all the latest strike news is National Rail’s Industrial Action page which is always updated when new action is announced.

Last year, there were lots of train strikes over the Christmas period, beginning on December 13 and ending on January 7, and this can’t be ruled out again.

The latest round of action took place on Saturday, September 30 and Wednesday, October 4, and caused chaos across Britain.

There was also an overtime ban across the UK rail network on Friday, September 29, and from Monday 2 to Friday 6 October.

London Tube strikes on Wednesday, October 4, and Friday, October 6 were due to disrupt all lines but got cancelled at the last minute.

Companies affected by train strikes

Strikes usually affect the following companies:

• Avanti West Coast
• c2c
• Chiltern Railways
• CrossCountry
• East Midlands Railway
• Gatwick Express
• Great Northern
• Great Western Railway
• Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express)
• Heathrow Express
• LNER
• London Northwestern Railway
• Northern
• South Western Railway (including Island Line)
• Southeastern
• Southern
• Thameslink
• TransPennine Express
• West Midlands Railway

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