The third heatwave of the year looks to hit the Midlands this week (with amber alerts in place from Wednesday, July 8 to Sunday, July 12). But anyone thinking of day trips out of Birmingham may have to adjust their travel plans as there’s a reduced timetable in place this weekend ahead of industrial action.
West Midlands Railway (WMR) is urging passengers to plan their travel ahead of two days of strike action. On Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11, a reduced service will operate on the WMR network due to strike action by members of the TSSA trade union.
What does this mean for train travel?
It means that a limited timetable will be in operation on the WMR network, while some routes will have no service at all. No trains will run after 7pm on Friday, while the final WMR services of the day depart from 5pm. Then on Saturday, trains will start later than usual, with the first WMR services of the day starting from 7am.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience this will cause our customers and are doing everything we can to minimise the impact as much as possible,” said Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director. “If the strike action does go ahead, we will be running a significantly reduced timetable on both dates. Customers are advised to check before they travel by visiting journey planners and our website.”
Which lines will be affected?
Routes with a limited service:
- Cross City Line (Lichfield Trent Valley – Redditch / Bromsgrove via Birmingham New Street) – 2 trains per hour
- Wolverhampton – Walsall via Birmingham New Street – 1 train per hour
- Rugeley Trent Valley – Birmingham International via Birmingham New Street – 1 train per hour
No trains will run on any other WMR route, including:
- All routes via Birmingham Snow Hill
- Camp Hill Line
- Nuneaton to Leamington Spa
- Birmingham New Street to Hereford
- Birmingham New Street to Shrewsbury.
Some disruption to services is expected on the morning of Sunday 12 July due to the displacement of trains.
