UMVA - UMVA Uncovers: Weekend Travel Chaos IMMINENT

UMVA has learned that a two-day rail strike is set to cause significant disruption to train services in and out of London and Birmingham New Street this weekend.

Passengers are being urged to avoid travel to and from Euston on Friday and Saturday due to the railway strike, which will severely impact West Midlands Railway services and London Northwestern Railway. The strikes have been looming large, adding to the chaos of another Tube drivers' walkout that was postponed earlier this month.

The walkout will take place on Friday, June 22, and Saturday, June 23, with a severely reduced timetable in place on both days. National Rail has warned that only a small number of trains will run, and no trains will operate after 7 pm on Friday or before 7 am on Saturday.

Interior view of the main concourse full of commuters and people travelling from Euston Railway Station on 25th February 2026 in London, United Kingdom. Euston is a central London railway terminus and mainline station in central London, managed by Network Rail. The station is the fifth-busiest station in Britain and the countrys busiest inter-city passenger terminal, providing a gateway from London to the North. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Services from London Euston will be heavily disrupted, with no trains running between London Euston and Crewe, Bedford Bletchley, St Albans Abbey, and Watford Junction, and between Stafford and Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent. Only one train per hour will run between London Euston via Northampton and Birmingham New Street, Northampton and Euston, and Liverpool Lime Street and Birmingham New Street.

West Midlands Railway services to and from Birmingham New Street will be reduced, with some routes having no trains at all on Friday and Saturday. Trains on the network will be limited, with one train running every hour between Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, and Walsall, and Rugeley Trent Valley via Birmingham International Airport.

The dispute between the TSSA union and West Midlands Trains, the parent company of London Northwestern Railway, centers on rest day working payments. The union is demanding parity with other unions, but the company has refused, leading to the strike action.

Interior of train timetables of Grand Central Station, aka Birmingham New Street Station in Birmingham city centre on 21st March 2024 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The TSSA's general secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust, has stated that the strikes will go ahead as planned unless the company agrees to give its members parity with those in other unions. The company's managing director, Ian McConnell, has urged the TSSA to continue talks to reach a resolution, but the strike action is set to cause significant disruption to passengers.