MORE TRAIN strikes will take place next week and South Western Railway is warning people to only travel if absolutely necessary.
The shutdown takes place on Friday, September 1, and Saturday, September 2, and follows a similar situation on Saturday, August 26.
Mainline drivers from the ASELF union will be striking on the Friday, and then banning overtime, while the RMT union is downing tools on the Saturday.
Previous days of ASLEF Union strike action was limited to depot drivers, who bring trains in and out of service.
As a result, the majority of the South Western Trains network will be closed and there will be a very limited service from 7am to 7pm. Reading and Wokingham borough stations will not be served on both days.
If customers must travel, they should check their entire journey as other train operators will be affected on both days of strike action.
Stuart Meek, South Western Railway’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “This is the first time our network has been subject to full strike action by members of the ASLEF Union and, as a result, we are only able to offer an extremely limited service on Friday 1 September.
“Friday 1 September will be different to previous days of strike action with a lot fewer trains running and with the majority of the network closed.
“Our advice to customers is to not travel unless your journey is absolutely necessary. The few services we will be running are likely to be extremely busy and we may have to use queuing systems and crowd control measures.
“A significantly reduced service will operate the following day, Saturday 2 September, with more lines open but with large parts of the network still closed. Trains will only run between 0700 and 1900 and so our advice, again, is to only travel if journeys are absolutely necessary.
“If customers must travel on either day, they should check their entire journey before travelling, with other operators also impacted by strike action. We’re really sorry for the disruption.”
For more details, and journey planners, log on to: southwesternrailway.com/strike
