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For those aged 16-25, save a 1/3 off rail fares for days out, seeing family and friends and even festivals!

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For those aged 60 and over, save 1/3 off rail fares for days out, holidays, seeing family and friends, and theatre trips!

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For two named people travelling together, get an average annual saving of £129 plus special partner discounts!

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If you have a disability that makes travelling by train difficult, you may qualify for a Disabled Persons Railcard

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Valid for those aged 26-30. For just £30, save 1/3 on most rail fares to travel across Britain for a year!

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Children aged 5-15 get 60% discount on kids fares! Up to four adults and four children can travel on one card.

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For those travelling in the South East, aged 16 or over. Get an average annual saving of £191 plus partner discounts.

For those aged 16 or 17. Enjoy 50% off standard Anytime, Off-Peak, Advance and Season tickets, for just £30 a year.

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If you are a veteran of the UK Armed Forces, you may qualify for a Veterans Railcard. Save a 1/3 on most rail fares.

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Great Britain by Rail

BritRail Pass guide: what it is, where you can use it, and where you can buy it

July 29, 2023

Jonathan Holmes

This blog is monetised via affiliate links at no additional cost to the user.

For travelers looking to explore the breadth of Great Britain by train, a BritRail Pass offers the most flexible and affordable option. BritRail Passes provide unlimited train travel on the UK National Rail network for a fixed number of travel days within a set period.

This in-depth guide will cover everything you need to know about BritRail Passes. We’ll outline the types of passes, pricing, how to buy and use the passes, tips for maximizing your rail journey, and popular rail routes you can experience with a BritRail Pass. With the ability to customize your own UK itinerary, a BritRail Pass lets you travel door-to-door across England, Scotland and Wales with ease.

Table of Contents

BritRail Pass Overview and Benefits

BritRail Passes allow unlimited travel for your choice of consecutive or non-consecutive days on all National Rail services across Great Britain over a set validity period. Some key benefits include:

• Flexibility to travel when and where you want
• Use on high-speed intercity and local/commuter trains
• Reserved seat options available
• Discounted rate for rail travel in Britain
• Simple way for visitors to pay for train travel
• Valid on Transport for London services
• Easy to customize your rail itinerary

With a BritRail Pass, you have the flexibility to hop on and off trains as needed without purchasing individual tickets. It provides an budget-friendly way to cover lots of ground across Britain with hassle-free train travel.

BritRail Pass Types and Pricing

BritRail offers several main types of passes priced based on the number of days of use:

• England Pass: Covers rail travel in England only
• Scotland Pass: Covers rail travel in Scotland only
• Wales Pass: Covers rail travel in Wales only
• GB Pass: Covers all of Great Britain
• BritRail & Ireland Pass: Includes both GB and Ireland

Passes are available for durations between 3-15 travel days used over 1 month, with discounts for youth travelers. Prices range from around £129 for a 3-day England Pass to £479 for a 15-day GB Pass. Regional passes offer more affordable options for exploring part of Britain.

How to Purchase Your BritRail Pass

BritRail Passes must be purchased prior to your arrival in Britain through third party sellers like BritRail, ACP Rail, Rail Europe andothers. Passes cannot be obtained in the UK. Be sure to factor in shipping time when ordering.

Online ordering through reputable sellers is recommended for convenience and potential discounts. Physical paper passes are shipped to you, while e-tickets offer instant digital delivery. Know your travel dates so you can pick the ideal pass duration.

Maximizing Your Rail Journey with a BritRail Pass

To make the most of your BritRail Pass, keep these tips in mind:

• Reserve seats on high-speed trains for comfort and guaranteed seats
• Be strategic in selecting your travel days
• Prioritize longer journeys on high-speed intercity routes
• Use non-travel days for sightseeing in one location
• Consider traveling overnight to save pass days
• Download the National Rail Enquiries app for schedules
• Bring your passport as photo ID when using your pass

By mixing high-speed intercity journeys with local routes, you can optimize pass usage to cover lots of ground across Britain in comfort.

Top Rail Routes and Attractions to Experience

A BritRail Pass unlocks the opportunity to enjoy iconic train journeys and top UK destinations through flexible travel. Some classic rail adventures include:

• London to Edinburgh – View scenery along the scenic East Coast route
• London to Cardiff – See coastal towns en route through Southern England
• London to Manchester – Travel via Birmingham and the industrial heartland
• Glasgow to Fort William – Ride the scenic West Highland Line along the bonny banks
• North Wales Coast Line – Coastal and mountain views alongside castles
• Settle to Carlisle Line – See England’s dramatic Yorkshire Dales and Pennines
• Cornish Riviera – Wind along the beaches and harbour towns of Cornwall

With your BritRail Pass in hand, you have the ticket to customize your own UK rail adventure and take in Britain’s most magnificent scenery and destinations.

A BritRail Pass offers unmatched flexibility and value for travelers looking to explore Great Britain by rail. With the ability to customize your perfect UK rail itinerary, BritRail Passes allow you to maximize train travel and discover the country at your own pace.

Whether you want to connect England’s big cities, admire Scotland’s highlands or tour quaint coastal villages, a BritRail Pass has you covered. By unlocking extensive train travel, a BritRail Pass remains one of the best ways for visitors to embrace the journey and see Britain’s iconic landscapes up close.

Jonathan is an Englishman who has travelled via railways in all over Great Britain as well as in other countries worldwide. Despite his enjoyment of travelling around his home island via rail, he wishes that the railway services of Great Britain were up to standard with other countries he has visited.

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BritRail Passes

M-PASS NOW AVAILABLE FOR BRITRAIL PASS

Easily download any BritRail Pass to your phone!

Get one free seat reservation with Flexible M-Pass purchase!

Choose a BritRail Pass

The best way to explore England, Scotland and Wales is with a BritRail pass, allowing for unlimited train travel on Britain’s National Rail Network!

England's South West Coast

The BritRail South West Pass includes travel from London, through the lush hills of the Cotswolds, along England’s scenic coastline and onto popular stops.

Discover Scotland with the M-Pass!

Travelling Scotland has never been easier with 4 new M-Passes to choose from. Download your pass to uncover the majesty of bonnie Scotland.

British Train Tickets

With over 2500 train stations in Britain simply enter any origin and destination in England, Scotland and Wales to buy your train tickets in advance.

Travelling the UK with a BritRail Pass

• BritRail Pass
• BritRail England Pass
• BritRail London Plus Pass
• BritRail Spirit of Scotland Pass
• BritRail South West Pass
• Introducing M-Pass
• Pass Benefits
• Eligibility & Conditions Of Use
• The BritRail Interactive Map
• Royal Britain
• Museums and Galleries
• Landmarks (outside London)
• National Parks
• Famous British Writers & Artists
• National Rail Facts
• COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
• The BritRail Map
• Train Reservations
• Top BritRail Tips
• Passengers Needing Assistance
• Ticket Wallet
• Book Your BritRail Pass
• Plan Your Trip >

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Your BritRail Pass :

Is there a discount for Children travelling on a BritRail Pass? Yes. Children between 5 – 15 (inclusive) are entitled to a child discount of 50% of the adult price. Certain BritRail Passes also offer a free child discount, please see FAQ below and also check when booking. Children travelling between the ages of 0 - 4 (inclusive) do not need to pay for a pass if they do not take up a seat (i.e: sit on parent's lap)

Is the Eurostar included in my BritRail Pass? No. Eurostar services are not included in the BritRail Pass range. 

What is included in the BritRail Spirit of Scotland Pass? See the BritRail Spirit of Scotland Pass  Benefits  page.  

Placing your Order:

Why should I buy a BritRail Pass? A BritRail Pass is for you if you plan to travel on several different days when in Britain, or more than just a return journey. BritRail is competitively priced compared with purchasing individual tickets.

How far in advance can I buy my Pass? BritRail Passes can be purchased six months in advance

What is the difference between Standard and First Class travel? Standard Class carriages in Britain give you a good quality comfortable seat and the chance to reserve your seat, especially for the long journeys. First Class carriages are often quieter, offer wider seats, more legroom and less seats per carriage than Standard Class. In some cases First Class services include snacks and drinks at seat and free WiFi . Not all trains in Britain provide First Class .

Are railway staff discounts available when purchasing my BritRail Pass? No.

How much luggage can I take? Customers may take up to three items of personal luggage free of charge, this includes two large items (such as suitcases or rucksacks) and one item of smaller hand luggage (such as a briefcase). Excess luggage and certain more bulky items (such as skis) may be carried, subject to available space, at an extra charge. On Gatwick Express services bulky items such as skis are conveyed free in the luggage van. There is plenty of space on board for other luggage. Click here for further details.

What services are available on the train?

Can I take my bicycle with me? Yes. There is limited space on trains for the carriage of cycles, so please check with your train operator before you travel.

Can I take my pet on the train? Yes, please click here to visit national rail for further details.

What is the Travel Diary? Filling out a BritRail Travel Diary gives us information and feedback on what routes BritRail Passholders are travelling. This information will help us to provide better products and destination specific offers to you in the future.

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Which BritRail Pass Should I Buy?

If you're thinking of buying a BritRail Pass before arriving in the UK, there are a few things to consider first to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. 

Compare Prices to See If You Really Need One

BritRail Pass are sold for a fixed period of time or a fixed number of days within a fixed period of time (10 non-consecutive days within a 30 day period, for example). During the period you buy, the pass offers unlimited travel so the more you use it, the more it is worth.

Buy one if:

• you think you'll take at least three, one-way train trips across long distances of the UK. 
• you like to travel spur of the moment. Britain's train tickets are much cheaper when bought several weeks in advance. So if you expect to use the trains when the whim strikes you, buy a BritRail Pass because last minute tickets can cost five or six times the price on some routes.

To compare prices, have a look at the National Rail Enquiries website and add up the cost of your planned trips, using the cheapest standard fare as your gauge. Don't pay too much attention to the very low, promotional fares that are often shown. These may be gone before you make up your mind. Look, instead for Standard Open or Saver prices. If you like to take a lot of day trips, check the off-peak, prices - both cheap day returns or one-way tickets (a pair of one way tickets are often cheaper than a round trip, or return, ticket).

Once you've got an idea of the price of conventional tickets for your travel, check out the prices of the various BritRail passes on offer online at theVisit Britain Shop.

Which Pass?

The kind of BritRail Pass you choose depends on your touring style. Although there are several variations, the two main categories are the  Consecutive Pass  and Flexipass . Here's how they work:

Consecutive Passes: If you like to slip on a backpack and stay on the move, or if you expect to take loads of longer day trips from a central base, you should choose a BritRail Consecutive Pass. They entitle the user to unlimited rail travel for a fixed number of days. They can be purchased for 4, 8, 15, 22 or one month of consecutive days travel on the British rail networks. They are available for first or second class travel. But be aware that first class travel, when it is offered, is rarely worth the extra cost except for very long journeys where meals are offered. The Consecutive Passes that are offered include:

• BritRail Consecutive Pass Unlimited travel in England, Scotland and Wales. Available as a Senior pass for those over 60 and as a Youth pass, usable up to the age of 26.
• BritRail England Consecutive Pass Unlimited travel in England. Available as a Senior pass or a Youth pass.​

Flexipasses: Travelers who like to stop for a while to explore a region before moving on, or who want the freedom to choose when they will hop on a train during their vacation, should choose a Flexipass. They allow a fixed number of days of travel - that do not have to be consecutive days - during a two month period and can be purchased for 4, 8 or 15 days of travel. These are the Flexipass types offered:​

• BritRail Flexipass Pass Unlimited travel for a fixed number of days, during a one or two month period, in England, Scotland and Wales. Available as a Senior pass for those over 60 and as a Youth pass, for those under 26.
• BritRail England Flexipass Unlimited travel in England for the 3, 4, 8 or 15 days during a one or two month period,. Available as a Senior pass or a Youth pass.

There are also Scotland and Southwest England passes as well as a London Plus pass which is useful for taking lots of day trips from the capital.

And Free Travel for Kids

As an added incentive for families traveling together, the Free BritRail family pass , allows one child (aged 5 to 15 ), with each adult or senior pass holder, to travel free of charge. There's no additional fee for this, just ask for it when you buy your BritRail Pass.

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Trans-Siberian Railway Prices

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Home » Prices and Trans-Siberian Tickets » Trans-Siberian Railway Prices

Ticket prices for the Trans-Siberian Railway also depend on the current ruble exchange rate.

Is the Trans-Siberian Railway expensive?

Before starting on your Trans-Siberian Railway adventure you naturally want to know what the entire trip will cost. Although this sounds like a simple question, it is pretty difficult to answer. The Trans-Siberian Railway price of travel depends on the following factors:

• Which travel class do I want to use? The price for a first class ticket is about three times the price of a 3rd class ticket
• Am I willing to buy the tickets myself and assume responsibility for the organisation of the trip?
• How many stopovers do I want to make? The more breaks, the higher the total price.
• What sort of accommodation do I want? Will it be a luxury hotel or will a hostel dormitory be sufficient?
• What tours and excursions would I like to go on?
• What is the current exchange rate for rubles?

Basically, everything from a luxury to a budget holiday is available. If you buy yourself a 3rd Class nonstop ticket at the counter, a few hundred Euros will cover the price. All you will experience is a week on the Trans-Siberian train and will see nothing of the cities on the way. There is, however, any amount of room for upward expansion. Everyone makes different choices about which aspects they are willing to spend money on. I personally prefer to save money on accommodation and railcar class, visit as many cities and do as many trips as possible. To enable better classification of your travel expenses I have contrasted two typical traveler types. In the third column you can calculate the total cost of your own journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Please keep in mind that these are only rough estimations and not exact prices.

The all-in costs seem fairly high at first. However, they cover everything and it is quite a long journey taking four weeks. Many people forget to consider that when looking at the list. We should also deduct the running costs for food and leisure at home. I think most visitors to this page will classify themselves somewhere between the two categories, that is around the € 2,000 – € 2,500 range. When comparing these prices with other travel packages, you get the impression that it is hardly worthwhile travelling individually on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Please keep in mind that most packages last no more than 14 days and you are herded like cattle through the most beautiful locations.

If you spend less time on the Trans-Siberian Railway you will, of course, pay less. I chose this particular travel length because I prefer not to do things by halves. If you fulfill your dream of travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway, enjoy it and don’t rush things. But it’s up to you, of course. Try playing around with the form a bit to find the appropriate price for your trip.

• Trans-Siberian Railway Tickets »

2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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High-speed rail

Russian revolution: is the Moscow-Kazan high-speed rail project on track?

The new 700km-long moscow-kazan rail line will be the only network in russia that can handle train speeds in excess of 400km/h. julian turner gets the inside track on the project’s viability and the future of high-speed rail in the country from frost & sullivan consulting analyst ivan kondratenko.

hink of Russia and rail travel and the first thing that comes to mind is likely to be the Trans-Siberian Railway, that epic, romantic journey of more than 9,000km from Moscow through the Ural Mountains, and on to the port city of Vladivostok in the frozen far east of the country.

Beloved by adventurers for over a century, the Trans-Siberian network was for decades the world’s longest railway line, until that honour went to the Yiwu-Madrid Railway upon its completion in 2014.

Now, the next major station in the evolution of Russia’s rail system has been reached in the shape of the new Moscow-Kazan high-speed line.

At more than 700km, the route is the first phase of the Russian section of a high-speed rail network between Europe and Asia that aims to improve cargo transportation between Beijing and Moscow, as well as mobility, interconnection and economic growth in the regions of Russia.

“The idea behind the construction of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed rail line was announced nearly ten years ago, in 2009,” says Ivan Kondratenko, consulting analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “Back then it was justified by improving the innovation of the industry and increasing the mobility of population alongside the rail route of about 15 million citizens by creating large agglomerations.

“The initial plan was to have the line extended to Yekaterinburg by 2030 with the ultimate goal to complete the 7,000km-long line connecting Moscow and Beijing.

“Accumulated high-speed rail projects in Russia by 2030 account for 4,300km. However, the Russian economy and state budget are currently not in the best shape to handle large infrastructure projects, so such achievements remain debatable as no real actions and construction has taken place yet,” he says. “For Russian Railways to complete their projects, attracting foreign partners for financing and technology sharing is crucial.”

The high-speed line is set to reduce travel time between Moscow and Kazan from 14 hours to just over three hours

Vital stats: Chinese funding and projected passenger numbers 

Deterioration of Russian relations with the West and subsequent Western sanctions put paid to interest in the Moscow-Kazan project from European conglomerates such as Siemens and SNCF.

In April 2016, China Railway International Group stepped in and agreed to provide a loan of RUB400bn ($6.2bn) for the construction of the Moscow-Kazan rail line over a 20-year period.

“China has shown its interest in taking part in the project as part of the construction of the high-speed rail network between Moscow and Beijing,” says Kondratenko. “One of the main conditions from the Chinese side was to use their technology and equipment for construction. Due to underdeveloped local capability and lack of access to Western technologies, the Russian counterparts agreed to these conditions.”

The project is being developed by JSC High-Speed Rail Lines, a subsidiary of JSC Russian Railways, through a public-private partnership (PPP) and overall financing for the project is expected to be obtained through additional PPPs, as well as from national funds and private investors .

“The initial budget for the Moscow-Kazan section of the project was estimated at nearly RUB1tn in 2013,” says Kondratenko. “However as of 2018, with work still in the early planning stages, the estimated cost has increased to nearly RUB1.7tn (around $25bn), with RUB700bn of this likely to come in the form of a non-refundable subsidy from the Russian Government.”

The line is expected to serve around 10.5 million passengers in its initial year of operation, with passenger capacity estimated to reach 20 million a year by 2035, and 25 million a year by 2050. Russian Railways plans to operate 300m-long bullet trains on the route. The trains will have an operating speed of 360km/h and a maximum speed of 440km/h.

Kondratenko is somewhat sceptical about the line’s projected impact on mobility among Russia’s regional population.

“There will be a certain increase, but according to the Russian Railways, by 2030 the estimated number of passengers on the line should be 10 million annually, which is actually eight times higher than the current number of passengers,” he says.

“A lot of experts are sceptical about this figure – there is no reasonable justification for such an increase, as the level of incomes in Russian regions is not high enough to afford travel on high-speed trains.

“According to the authors of the project, the multiplication effect on GDP after completion of the project should be seven times higher than total costs of the project,” he adds. “Again, there are no concrete justifications of these numbers.”

Image: ra3rn / Shutterstock.com

Fast track: will the new Moscow-Kazan line be affordable? 

The issue of affordability for average Russians is a recurring theme and one of the reasons identified by Kondratenko as to why high-speed rail has historically failed to gain more traction in the country.

“There is an issue around the purchasing power of local citizens,” he confirms. “Tickets for high-speed rail are usually comparable with flight tickets; for example, for the full route from Moscow to Kazan it should be around $60, comparable with a flight ticket price.

“For people who can afford travel, it makes more sense to choose faster planes, and for people with limited financial resources, longer times on routes at usual non-high-speed trains are justified by lower ticket prices.

“However, current rail, road and plane routes are significantly more time consuming than the projected high-speed line, and the main advantage of the project is that it is set to reduce travel time between Moscow and Kazan from 14 hours to just over three hours.”

“The main reason for the lack of a developed high-speed rail network in Russia is the country's huge size,” Kondratenko adds. “The route to Kazan from Moscow alone would be 790km long from west to east – and this is not even half of the country.

“Also, the costs of development of such networks are too high to allow the railways to become profitable in decades, if profitable at all.”

Critics have argued that the introduction of some high-speed lines has resulted in more affordable long-distance and commuter services being delayed or cancelled. Is the feeling that high-speed rail in Russia benefits urban, moneyed elites at the expense of rural passengers justified?

“There are no real high-speed lines in Russia at the moment,” Kondratenko points out. “The current Moscow-Saint Petersburg route allows for travel at a maximum speed of 250km/h and there are still trains at more affordable prices on alternative routes.”

For Russian Railways to complete their projects, attracting foreign partners for financing and technology sharing is crucial

As of 2018, the estimated cost has increased to nearly RUB1.7TN

Engineering ambition: project timelines and next-generation bullet trains 

The new high-speed route will be built in twelve stages, with construction on the Moscow-Kazan section scheduled to start in 2018.

“The plan is to have the line to Kazan completed by 2024,” says Kondratenko. “Initially, it was anticipated to be completed by 2018 before the World Cup in Russia, but considering it is still in the early stages of development, the timeline might be revised again.”

“The line is projected to be used as a cargo route as well, and potentially if the wider project of the railway from Moscow to Beijing is built, it can increase convenience and decrease time of cargo transportation.”

Whether or not ordinary Russians are willing, or able, to get on-board with their country’s multi-billion dollar high-speed rail revolution remains to be seen.

Image: BestPhotoPlus / Shutterstock.com

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'Do not attempt to travel' - Warning issued ahead of fresh rail strikes

• rail strike
• Avanti West Coast
• West Coast Mainline
• Tuesday 2 April 2024 at 5:12pm

People have been advised "do not attempt to travel" ahead of the latest ASLEF train drivers' strike.

Customers have been advised not to travel as there will be no Avanti West Coast services on Friday, 5 April.

There will be no Avanti West Coast trains on the West Coast Mainline and there will be no replacement services in place.

ASLEF members are withdrawing overtime between Thursday 4 to Saturday, 6 April and Monday 8 to Tuesday, 9 April.

Andy Mellors, Managing Director at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re sorry our customers will face disruption to their travel plans when ASLEF go on strike this Friday.

“Anyone with tickets for 5 to 8 April can make their journey on alternative days or claim a full refund.

"While our advice to all customers making journeys between 4 and 9 April is to check before you travel. We’d like to thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding during this industrial action.”

What are ASLEF members striking over?

The ASLEF strike is part of a long running dispute over pay. The programme of one-day rolling strikes is coupled with an overtime ban.

The ASLEF union say they want an increase in pay for train drivers, who say they have not had a pay increase since April 2019.

GS Mick Whelan said: "Our members voted overwhelmingly – yet again – for strike action.

"Those votes show – yet again – a clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by the Rail Delivery Group which knew that offer would be rejected because a land grab for all the terms & conditions we have negotiated over the years would never be accepted by our members."

There will also be no Northern services or Transpennine Express Services on Saturday, 6 April.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern , said: “We are disappointed that ASLEF has chosen to call yet more strike action and we would encourage them to work with the rail industry so we can put an end to this dispute.

“We can only apologise to customers in the meantime for the significant disruption and inconvenience this action by ASLEF will cause.”

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience & Transformation Director at TPE, said: “Unfortunately, strike action will once again, cause disruption to our services, as well as those across the country.

“Sadly, we won’t be able to run any trains at all on Saturday 6 April, and some services will be affected this week by further industrial action.”

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April train strikes 2024: How will Monday’s train drivers’ walk-out hit passengers?

In three days of ‘rolling’ walk-outs, most of the train operators involved will cancel all services, article bookmarked.

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National rail strikes by train drivers have entered their 22nd month with a series of “rolling” walk-outs, one region at a time, during early April.

Members of the Aslef union have halted thousands of trains on 5, 6 and 8 April. The aim is to disrupt services on the 14 rail firms in England that are controlled by the UK government and represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Rolling strikes cause maximum disruption for minimum loss of pay.

In addition, five days of overtime bans will cause further cancellations.

The previous national industrial action by train drivers, comprising an overtime ban and rolling regional walk-outs, hit for nine days from 29 January to 6 February .

Industrial action by Aslef in a dispute over pay and working arrangements began in July 2022. The union is demanding a no-strings pay award, but rail firms – directed by ministers – say any increase is contingent on radical reforms to working practices in order to reduce public subsidies.

During the dispute, hundreds of millions of journeys have been cancelled. Billions of pounds have been lost to the UK economy – particularly hospitality businesses – and taxpayers are pumping cash into an increasingly decrepit and unreliable railway to the tune of £90 per second on top of the normal subsidy.

The quarrel has become increasingly bitter, with no sign of any progress towards a settlement.

Caught in the middle of a seemingly intractable dispute: the passenger. In a snap social media poll for The Independent that garnered 2,142 responses, one in three passengers say they will permanently travel less after the industrial action finally ends.

In addition to the latest walk-outs by rail workers, commuters in the capital were fearing two days of strikes by Aslef members who drive trains for the London Underground . But days before the first planned walk-out, the action was called off .

However, Aslef has called an additional strike and overtime ban at the UK’s flagship train operator, LNER, for later in April.

For passengers, these are the key questions and answers.

Which rail firms are involved?

Aslef is in dispute with the 14 train operators that are contracted by the UK government to provide rail services. They are:

Intercity operators:

Avanti West Coast

CrossCountry

East Midlands Railway

Great Western Railway ( GWR )

TransPennine Express

Southeast England commuter operators:

Greater Anglia

GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)

Southeastern

South Western Railway (including the Island Line on the Isle of Wight)

Operators focusing on the Midlands and north of England:

Chiltern Railways

Northern Trains

West Midlands Railway (including London Northwestern Railway)

When are the train drivers walking out?

Drivers belonging to the Aslef union will strike in the following pattern:

Friday 5 April

Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway and CrossCountry. The aim is to cause maximum disruption on key intercity lines as well as Midland commuter services.

To further complicate matters, commuters on the Great Western line have faced rush hour travel disruption after a freight train derailed between Reading and London Paddington , with some services cancelled and the remainder delayed.

Saturday 6 April

Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express. This strike is designed to hit rail passengers in the north and west of England, as well as the day’s football programme. In the Premier League, it will hit Newcastle fans travelling to Fulham in London.

Monday 8 April

C2C, Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, South Western Railway.

What are the predicted effects at each operator?

The Night Riviera sleeper train and the Gatwick Express will be cancelled throughout the industrial action period.

For other operators, these are the likely service patterns .

The four train operators – Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway and CrossCountry – cancelled all services on the day.

“Avanti West Coast services on the days either side of the strike will also be affected,” the West Coast main line operator said.

Chiltern Railways warned people who are thinking of switching to its London-Birmingham service: “Essential travel only, due to strike action on other operators.”

Chiltern, Northern and TransPennine Express have cancelled all services.

LNER is running a skeleton service on core lines between around 7am and 7pm. Its main Edinburgh-Newcastle-York-London line will have at least one train an hour, with some additional trains on the southern part of the network.

GWR will run no long-distance trains, but will connect Reading with Oxford and Basingstoke, as well as a link from Bristol to Cardiff and some branch routes in Devon and Cornwall.

CrossCountry is not on strike but warns its services are expected to be extremely busy, and urges prospective passengers: “Please only travel if essential.”

Sunday 7 April

Although no industrial action is taking place, planned Network Rail engineering projects will hamper many passengers hoping to travel on the Sunday to dodge the strikes.

Avanti West Coast says: “No trains will serve Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Glasgow Central, Haymarket or Edinburgh, and only a limited number of services will serve Lancaster and Oxenholme. All remaining trains will start / terminate at Preston.”

Northern will run rail replacement buses between Halifax and Huddersfield.

The CrossCountry line between Derby and Burton-on-Trent is closed all weekend, with rail replacement buses and train diversions.

Greater Anglia will run to and from London Liverpool Street to Stansted airport, Southend, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich.

Southern will run a shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick airport.

Thameslink will run a shuttle service between London St Pancras and Luton (town and airport stations).

Great Northern will run a shuttle service between London King’s Cross and Cambridge.

South Western Railway will run between London Waterloo, Woking and Guildford, with some other suburban services likely.

Southeastern is urging passengers not to travel, but will run services between London St Pancras and Ashford on the high-speed line; Charing Cross and Orpington; and London Bridge and Dartford.

C2C has cancelled all services.

What about the overtime ban?

Members are also refusing to work their rest days from Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 April and from Monday 8 to Tuesday 9 April. As many rail firms depend on drivers working overtime, hundreds – possibly thousands – of trains will be cancelled.

Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway have already said a reduced timetable will run on each day of the strike ban.

GWR says the overtime ban “is likely to cause some short-notice alterations and cancellations, especially at weekends or late at night”.

Which rail firms are not involved?

Some publicly funded train operators will run normally: ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Transport for London (including the Elizabeth line) and Merseyrail.

“Open-access” operators on the East Coast main line – Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo – are unaffected. But many of their services will be crowded on days of industrial action. They duplicate journeys of strike-hit companies, including LNER, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry and Northern.

What is at stake in the dispute?

The train drivers demand a pay rise to reflect high levels of inflation since they last won a pay award; Aslef says some members have not had an increase for five years.

But the government insists that even a modest pay increase is contingent on radical changes to long-standing working arrangements in order to reduce costs – and the huge subsidies the railway is currently receiving from the taxpayer.

Since the pandemic, travel patterns have changed. Ticket revenue is about one-fifth down on pre-Covid levels. As taxpayers will foot the eventual bill for the train drivers’ pay rise, the Treasury as well as the Department for Transport will sign off any deal.

Ministers believe train drivers’ terms and conditions are part of the problem. To keep costs down, they must accept changes to how they work, such as making Sunday part of the working week everywhere.

On 27 April 2023 the Rail Delivery Group offered a pay increase of 4 plus 4 per cent over two years covering the 2022 and 2023 pay awards – subject to a host of changes on terms and conditions, covering a wide range of issues including driver training, Sunday working, sick pay and new technology.

The union say this is completely unacceptable. The train drivers will negotiate on changes, but only after they get a decent no-strings pay offer on top of their current pay.

They believe the money will be found to meet their demands, as it always has been in the past. Aslef has also always “sold” reforms to working arrangements for an extra few per cent on their pay and does intend to change that process.

Meanwhile, the corrosion in confidence among travellers continues, with no rail passenger able to plan journeys more than two weeks ahead – that being the minimum notice the union must give for industrial action.

What does the union say?

The general secretary of Aslef, Mick Whelan, said: “Our members voted overwhelmingly – yet again – for strike action. Those votes show – yet again – a clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by the Rail Delivery Group which knew that offer would be rejected because a land grab for all the terms and conditions we have negotiated over the years would never be accepted by our members.

“Since then train drivers have voted, time and again, to take action in pursuit of a pay rise. That’s why Mark Harper, the transport secretary, is being disingenuous when he says that offer should have been put to members. Drivers wouldn’t vote for industrial action, again and again and again, if they thought that was a good offer. They don’t. That offer was dead in the water in April last year – and Mr Harper knows that.

“We asked Mr Harper, or his deputy, the rail minister Huw Merriman, to come and meet us. We asked the RDG and the TOCs to come and talk to us. We said, ‘Let’s sit around the table and negotiate.’ Because you say you don’t want any more industrial action, and we don’t want to disrupt the rail network. But the Tories and the TOCs [train operating companies] have given us no choice.

“We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table but it is now clear they do not want to resolve this dispute. They are happy for it go on and on. Because we are not going to give up.

“Many members have now not had a single penny increase in pay for half a decade.”

What do the employers and government say?

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer that remains on the table.

“Having resolved disputes with all other rail unions, the Transport Secretary and Rail Minister have ensured that a pay offer is on the table – taking train drivers’ average salaries from £60,000 up to £65,000.”

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, representing the train operators, said: “Nobody wins when industrial action impacts people’s lives and livelihoods, and we will work hard to minimise any disruption to our passengers.

“We want to resolve this dispute, but the Aslef leadership need to recognise that hard-pressed taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54 million a week just to keep services running post-Covid.

“We continue to seek an agreement with the Aslef leadership and remain open to talks to find a solution to this dispute.”

What does the Labour Party say?

Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said: “It is a staggering dereliction of duty that the transport secretary hasn’t got around the table with the unions to try to resolve it since the Christmas before last.

“Labour will take an unashamedly different approach to the Tories, and will work with both sides to reach a deal in the interests of passengers and workers. If the transport secretary took this sensible approach then perhaps we wouldn’t still be having strikes on our railways.”

How much has all the disruption cost?

According to the RDG, industrial action from June 2022 up until mid-January 2024 cost the rail sector around £775m in lost revenue. That does not include the impact of the most recent strikes and overtime bans, which probably add a further £100m to the losses.

UKHospitality estimates the lost business for places to eat, drink and stay amounts to almost £5 billion. Kate Nicholls, the organisation’s chief executive, says: “Ongoing strike action hurts businesses, prevents people from getting to work and significantly erodes confidence in the rail network.”

In addition, there is an unknowable loss of revenue from passengers who have adjusted their lifestyles or found alternative forms of transport; businesses that have stopped making trips and are using online communication instead; and people trimming back on travel because of the lack of certainty.

What about the new minimum service levels law?

Legislation now allows the transport secretary to stipulate minimum service levels (MSLs) on strike days amounting to 40 per cent of the normal service. The government says the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 aims “to ensure that the public can continue to access services that they rely on, during strike action”.

No train operator is seeking to impose the new law on the train drivers’ union. LNER said it might do so earlier this year, and opened consultations. Aslef immediately called a separate five-day strike on LNER alone. Then the train operator said it would not require drivers to work, and the strike was called off.

The Transport Select Committee has previously warned of potential unintended consequences of the legislation. The Conservative chair, Iain Stewart, said: “There is a risk of MSLs worsening worker-employer relations and that, as a result, MSLs could end up making services less reliable.”

The minimum service level rules do not apply to union bans on non-contractual rest-day working – so there would be no benefit in imposing the law when an overtime ban is in force.

What is the LNER-specific dispute about?

On Friday 19 and Sunday 21 April, Aslef members working for Aslef will refuse overtime. On Saturday 20 April, they will strike. The union has accused the rail firm of acting in bad faith. Nigel Roebuck, full-time organiser in the northeast of England, accused ministers of “leaning on the company to persuade every driver manager and driver instructor to work on strike days; effectively to provide a minimum service level without invoking the legislation”.

The Department for Transport for a response.

An LNER spokesperson said: “Our priority focus remains on minimising disruption to customers. We continue to encourage Aslef to work with us to find a way to end this long running dispute.”

Some cancellations are likely on 19 April, and many more on 20 and 21 April.

Anything else on the strike agenda?

Members of the main rail union, the RMT, who work for CrossCountry are striking on Saturday 13 April in a dispute over recognition.

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Rail passengers face rolling strikes but London Underground action called off

Aslef members start three days of 24-hour strikes from Friday but tube driver action cancelled

Rail passengers are bracing for travel disruption as train drivers bring some routes on the national network to a halt in a wave of strikes, but two days of similar action on the London Underground have been called off.

On Friday, members of the union Aslef start the first of three 24-hour strikes that will affect 16 rail operating companies in England as part of its 20-month dispute over pay.

However, on Thursday Aslef called off two daylong tube strikes planned for the following Monday and Saturday 4 May after receiving a proposal from Transport for London that it said resolved the key issues in the dispute.

The run of single-day national network strikes starts on Friday with drivers working for Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, London Northwestern Railway and CrossCountry. All five operators will run no services on the day.

On Saturday, strikes will take place on Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern and TransPennine, while on Monday services on Greater Anglia, GTR’s Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern/Gatwick Express, Southeastern, South Western Railway and SWR Island Line will be cancelled.

Passengers have been warned by operators to expect significant disruption, with most trains cancelled on the strike days. Services on the days before and after the strikes could also be affected. Drivers in Scotland and Wales are not on strike but cross-border rail services will be disrupted.

The strikes coincide with an overtime ban by the union for all operators, which runs from 4 to 6 April, and then 8 to 9 April. It is expected that it will make short-notice cancellations and disruption more likely when travelling on these days.

Announcing the cancellation of the London Underground strikes, an Aslef official said: “Management have confirmed that they have disbanded their ‘trains modernisation’ team and will not be implementing their plans to change drivers’ working arrangements without agreement. They have also agreed to reinstate annual refresher training stopped during the pandemic.”

Train drivers have already held 13 one-day strikes since the dispute started in 2022.

Speaking after the vote last month , Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, said: “Our members voted overwhelmingly – yet again – for strike action.

“Those votes show – yet again – a clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by [the train operators’ body] the Rail Delivery Group, which knew that offer would be rejected because a land grab for all the terms and conditions we have negotiated over the years would never be accepted by our members.”

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Aslef has said it would continue to strike for a better pay deal after the union rejected an 8% offer last spring.

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said: “We are sorry that this round of strikes called by the Aslef leadership risks disrupting journeys.

“While we are doing all we can to keep trains running and we will work with our industry partners to keep as many trains running as possible, unfortunately there will be reduced services between Thursday 4 April to Tuesday 9 April. Our advice is to check before you travel and follow the latest travel information.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike … Having resolved disputes with all other rail unions, the transport secretary and rail minister have ensured that a pay offer is on the table – taking train drivers’ average salaries from £60,000 up to £65,000.”

• Rail strikes
• Rail industry
• London Underground
• Rail transport
• Trade unions

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Aslef says more train strikes likely as drivers’ pay row continues

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New train services between London and Scotland get go-ahead

Train drivers at Northern and LNER to strike in March, Aslef union announces

Siemens to invest £100m in Chippenham rail factory site in Wiltshire

UK ministers look to install highly paid boss to spearhead rail reform plan

Weekend rail strikes: travel disrupted across Great Britain

£140m rail plan to tackle Elizabeth line and Great Western problems

Train drivers will keep striking to ‘raise profile’ of pay dispute, says Aslef boss

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