Manchester trains set for worst day of ASLEF strikes as Northern and TransPennine Express run no services

This week's strike by members of the train drivers union ASLEF is set to have its biggest impact on Manchester on December 8. On this day, two operators will run no trains across any part of their network. 

The strike started on December 2, with ASLEF members staggering when they walked out depending on which company they worked for. On this first day, London North Eastern Railway and East Midlands Railway were affected. 

December 8 is set to be Manchester’s most strike-hit day due to there being two companies on strike that operate lots of services around the region. Northern and TransPennine Express will see its train drivers strike on this day.

Northern has announced that due to the strike, it will be unable to run any of its 2,500 services on December 8. They have advised customers to ‘check before you travel’ on all journeys between December 1 and 9. 

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “This strike by ASLEF will have a significant impact on our customer’s ability to get where they want to be. Unfortunately, our advice is that Northern customers should not attempt to travel on Friday 8 December and should make alternative arrangements.

“Given that ASLEF has organised multiple strikes on different days for individual train operators, people travelling with Northern to connect onto other services across the country between 1st and 9th December should double check all legs of their journey before attempting to travel. We can only apologise to customers for the inevitable disruption this action by ASLEF will cause.” 

TransPennine Express has also announced that none of its services will run due to the industrial action. The operator runs services connecting Greater Manchester and Manchester Airport to the east and Scotland.

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Service and Operations Director at TPE, said: “Unfortunately, the further strike action will once again, cause severe disruption to our services, as well as those across the country. Sadly, we won’t be able to run any trains at all on Friday 8 December, with a very limited timetable in place on the days before and after the strike.”

Kathryn added: “We expect the action short of a strike to cause widespread disruption, delays and short-notice cancellations. I would advise customers to check very carefully before they travel and to allow extra time for any journeys. We’re extremely sorry for the impact this action will have for our customers and will do all we can to keep as many people on the move as possible.”