Elizabeth line strikes: Commuters given 'no trains' warning if walkouts start on Thursday

Passengers have been warned to expect “significant disruption” if Elizabeth line drivers go on strike on Thursday. The action, by members of Aslef, is the first of four 24-hour walkouts over the next fortnight in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

Earlier this month the drivers overwhelmingly rejected a 4.5 per cent increase that would have increased a typical salary by £3,261 to £75,726 for a 34-hour, four-day week. Aslef was in talks with MTR, the private firm that operates the Elizabeth line for Transport for London, on Tuesday.

But TfL decided to issue travel advice ahead of the outcome of the talks, to give passengers as much notice as possible of the likely scale of the disruption. TfL said there would be “no service” on most of the “Lizzie line” – the busiest railway in the country, with about 770,000 journeys on weekdays – and only a “significantly reduced” service on its eastern section between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.

This will also be the case if the second day of action, planned for Saturday (March 1), goes ahead. TfL said the planned strikes on Thursday and Saturday would result in “no services running between Abbey Wood and Reading/Heathrow”, including the section of the railway from Paddington to Abbey Wood under central London.

This means that Heathrow airport passengers will have to switch to the London Underground’s Piccadilly line or the more expensive Heathrow Express to and from Paddington. The significantly reduced service on the line’s eastern branch will mean no trains before 7am or after 6pm, with services not stopping at Maryland, Manor Park, Forest Gate and Goodmayes stations.

MTR said it had made an “enhanced offer” that included drivers earning one-and-a-half times their normal rate for working on a rest day. But it has not budged on the 4.5 per cent pay rise figure. The other two strike days are Saturday March 8 and Monday March 10. Likely service levels for these dates will be confirmed nearer the time.

On both Saturdays there are planned engineering works on other lines, including the DLR. TfL urged Alef to suspend its strike action. Howard Smith, TfL’s director of the Elizabeth line, said: “Talks are continuing, and we urge Aslef to suspend any industrial action whilst these are taking place.

“We encourage Aslef and MTR Elizabeth line to continue talking to try and resolve this dispute and avoid impacting our customers with strike action. “If the strike action does go ahead, customers are urged to check before they travel, allow extra time for their journeys, and check the TfL website or the TfL Go app for the latest travel information.”.

Mike Bagshaw, managing director for MTR Elizabeth line, said: “Following intensive talks with ASLEF to resolve this dispute and avoid disruptive strike action for our customers, we have put forward an enhanced offer, including a 1.5x rate for rest day working with further improvements to terms and conditions.

“This builds upon the original offer of a 4.5 per cent pay increase and enhanced terms and conditions, which would have maintained some of the highest salaries in the industry. “In the meantime, we have worked closely with Transport for London to implement a robust contingency plan, ensuring customers are informed of alternative travel options during the strike.”.