According to the route operator Network Rail, only a fifth of the connections should be served as planned. Before 7:30 a.m. and after 6:30 p.m., traffic on the affected routes should come to a complete standstill. People were asked to only travel by train if they were absolutely necessary. According to the RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) union, 40,000 employees from 15 different train companies responded to the call for strikes. It is the third rail strike in the UK this month. Another strike was also scheduled for Monday in Scotland.
RMT Secretary General Mick Lynch called on the government to mediate the dispute. However, the Ministry of Transport said union leaders should cooperate with employers and not work against them. “Our rail network is in dire need of modernization, but all strikes will do is punish the people they claim to be standing for and further alienate passengers,” a ministry spokesman said.
Source: Nachrichten
