Rail passengers face disruption from Avanti strikes every Sunday until June

London: So, here’s the scoop. Avanti passengers are being told to steer clear of traveling on Sundays if they can. Starting this weekend, there’s going to be some serious disruption on the west coast mainline.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has called for strikes every Sunday until the end of May. It’s all about pay for working on rest days, and it looks like the talks between the union and Avanti are still ongoing, but the strikes are definitely happening.

Avanti, which runs trains between London, Birmingham, and Glasgow, is advising folks to travel on other days to avoid the chaos. They’re expecting a “significantly reduced” timetable, plus some engineering work is going on. If you have tickets for those Sundays, don’t worry; they’ll be valid on other days, and you can get a refund if needed.

On strike days, only four trains an hour will be running to and from London Euston, with limited services to other cities. No trains will be heading to north Wales, Blackpool, or Edinburgh on certain Sundays.

Despite the issues, Avanti was given a new long-term contract by the government last year, even though they’ve had a rough time with cancellations and delays. In fact, they canceled 7.8% of their trains recently, which isn’t great.

Kathryn O’Brien from Avanti expressed disappointment over the strikes, especially since many people rely on the trains for work and family visits. She’s urging customers to consider traveling on different days or to claim refunds.

The RMT, on the other hand, feels like their concerns have been ignored, and they’re pushing for a resolution through these strikes. It’s a tough situation for everyone involved.