TransPennine Express (TPE) has urged its customers to carefully plan their journeys in anticipation of upcoming strike action next week. The ASLEF union has announced that their drivers will go on strike on Wednesday, May 31, and Saturday, June 3. Additionally, the RMT union members have called for a strike on Friday, June 2.
The scheduled strikes will have a significant impact on TPE services, with no trains running on the days of the ASLEF strikes and only a very limited timetable in operation during the RMT strike.
Kathryn O’Brien, the Operations and Customer Service Director at TPE, expressed her disappointment, stating, “Sadly, once again, we are having to ask our customers to think carefully about their journeys as a result of industrial action.”
O’Brien continued, “We won’t be able to operate any services at all during the ASLEF strikes on May 31 and June 3, and we will be running a very limited timetable on just three routes on June 2 when RMT members stage their action.”
Due to the disruption caused by the strikes, the trains that will be operational are expected to be extremely crowded. TPE advises passengers to allocate extra time for their journeys if they plan to travel during this period.
Kathryn O’Brien assured customers, stating, “We will have TPE staff out and about across the network over the coming week and into next weekend to provide help and advice to our customers, and we will do all we can to keep people on the move. But we need our customers to plan ahead carefully, consider their travel options, and make other arrangements, where necessary.”
For detailed information regarding TPE’s timetable during the RMT strike on June 2, customers can visit the TPE website or consult National Rail Enquiries.
Passengers holding tickets for TransPennine Express services on May 31 have the option to defer their journeys and travel until Monday, June 5. Similarly, customers with tickets for travel on June 2 or 3 can travel until Tuesday, June 6. Alternatively, passengers who choose not to travel during the strike can claim a full refund through the TPE website.
TPE assures its customers that they will continue to monitor the situation closely and work diligently to minimise the impact of the strike action on their services.
