Rail strikes next week are likely to see as much as 80% of train services cancelled for most of the week, the rail industry is warning.

There are two 48-hour strikes taking place on 3rd/4th and 6th/7th January called by the RMT union, and a strike on the 5th January by the Aslef union.

The Rail Delivery Group expects that on RMT strike days, around half of the network will shut down as RMT signal staff walkout, with only about 20% of normal services running, and on the 5th January, there could be even fewer services running than that as the Aslef strike will affect 15 train companies.

The Aslef strike on 5th January will affect the following train companies.

• Avanti West Coast;
• Chiltern Railways;
• CrossCountry;
• East Midlands Railway;
• Gatwick Express;
• Great Western Railway;
• Greater Anglia;
• Great Northern;
• London North Eastern Railway;
• Northern Trains;
• Southeastern;
• Southern;
• South Western Railway (depot drivers only);
• SWR Island Line;
• Thameslink;
• TransPennine Express;
• West Midlands Trains.

Train companies are already warning that people should avoid travelling unless necessary during the RMT stike days, and likely don’t travel at all on the Aslef strike day.

Meanwhile, the RMT has an overtime ban in place at 14 train operating companies until 2nd January that will continue to affect the level of cancellations and the punctuality of some services. This action may particularly affect those travelling out of London late in the evening on New Year’s Eve and passengers are advised to plan their journey in advance.

Ticketing and refund information

• Tickets for 3rd to 7th January can be used the day before the date on the ticket, or up to and including Tuesday 10th January.
• There is also likely to be some disruption in the early morning of Sunday 8th January as workers return to their duties.

Passengers with Advance tickets can be refunded fee-free if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.

If the Advance ticket is for a train scheduled for a strike day, but it is not cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, and a customer prefers not to travel, they should contact their ticket retailer.

Customers with 2 x Advance tickets (an outbound and a return), to be used as a return journey, may be able to get a fee-free refund or change of journey for any unused legs/tickets, if either of the legs is scheduled for a strike day. Customers should check with their ticket retailer.

Customers with tickets for long distance operators, particularly where seat reservations are required, can obtain a refund and rebook onto an alternative service. Trains running on days either side of strike days are likely to be extremely busy and a seat cannot be guaranteed. Customers are advised to check with their operator before travelling.