SOUTH Western Railway has confirmed which services will be running during the upcoming industrial action next week.
On Monday, May 6, a revised service will operate across the SWR network due to a ban on overtime work by the ASLEF union.
Engineering work will also take place with line closures in the Aldershot, Reading, Salisbury and Winchester areas leading to further service changes.
READ MORE: Lines to close between Winchester and Basingstoke and buses to operate
On Tuesday, May 7, a reduced service will run on a limited number of lines due to strike action by the ASLEF union. Large parts of the network will be closed, and trains will only run between:
- Basingstoke and Salisbury
- London Waterloo and Basingstoke
- London Waterloo and Feltham via Twickenham
- London Waterloo and Guildford via Woking
- London Waterloo and Woking
There will be no services to stations such as Southampton Central, Portsmouth Harbour, Windsor & Eton Riverside, Reading or Exeter St Davids.
Trains will only run between 7am and 7pm. There will be no services outside of these times.
From Wednesday, May 8 to Saturday, May 11, the overtime ban will again mean a revised service across the SWR network.
A South Western Railway spokesperson said: “We are sorry to announce that, due to a ban on overtime working by the ASLEF union, along with planned engineering work, there will be disruption on the Early May Bank Holiday, Monday, May 6. A revised service will operate across our network so it is important that customers check before they travel.
“Strike action will take place the following day, Tuesday, May 7, and we are asking customers to only travel if their journeys are absolutely necessary. We will run a significantly reduced service with large parts of our network closed, and trains will only run between 7am and 7pm.
“The overtime ban will then continue from Wednesday, May 8 to Saturday, May 11 which will again mean a revised service. Engineering work will take place on Saturday 11 leading to further service changes, so once again, we are encouraging customers to check before travelling.
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“We are very sorry for the disruption that this industrial action will cause and are very thankful for our customers' continued patience.”
As a response to the strikes, National Express is boosting capacity of its coaches to meet demand, with an additional 7,500 seats available on its most popular routes from May 7 to May 9.
John Boughton, commercial director for National Express UK & Ireland, said: “With significant investment in our services and improvements to the customer experience, we are making it even easier for people to travel without having to worry about unaffordable fares or constantly wondering if the trains are running. National Express is the smart way to go!”
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