Rail strikes due to disrupts thousands in their travels this Christmas
After helping grocers such as Tesco to send refrigerated goods and help with booze supplies, the rail network has been crippled by strikes which are set to take place throughout the month of December.
Brits have been advised by huge operators Southern and Thameslink to only travel where necessary for a whole MONTH due to these strikes and the limited services.
New rail strikes have been announced for this month which threaten to ruin celebrations over the festive period for thousands of families. More than 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) are set to strike between December 13th and January 7th.
Strike action travel advice and booking information
Last updated 9 December 2022
Strike action is due to take place on our network on the following dates:
December 2022
- Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14
- Friday 16 and Saturday 17
January 2023
- Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4
- Friday 6 and Saturday 7
Other industrial action
- Sunday 18 December until Monday 2 January
During these dates there may be some disruption to our timetable due to an overtime ban by the RMT union. This could mean short notice cancellations and some trains not stopping at all stations. Please check before you travel.
We apologise for any inconvenience and disruption that this strike action will cause.
Saturday 24 December and Tuesday 27 December
Strike action may affect our services on Christmas Eve and during the Bank Holiday on Tuesday 27 December. We will publish more information here when it becomes available.
Sunday 25 and Monday 26 December
We do not run any trains on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Cancellation of strike action
Please see travel information below for the dates of the strike action. If the strike action is cancelled at short notice by the RMT before Tuesday 13 December we may not be able to immediately switch back to our normal timetable.
Rail services are built in complex, interrelated IT systems covering fleet, crew schedules and rosters. It takes some time to get everything back into place and more details will be published here if required.
New timetable from Sunday 11 December
We are also introducing our new timetable from Sunday 11 December, and this will be in place for the post-strike days. Visit our December timetable page for more information.
Travel advice for Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14, Friday 16 and Saturday 17 December
- There will be a limited service running on our network and some routes will be closed. The national advice is please only travel if absolutely necessary. If you have to travel, plan ahead and check your first and last trains across all train operators.
- Online journey planners have been updated for travel up to Friday 16 December. Journey planners for Saturday 17 December will be updated by Tuesday 13 December.
Tuesday 13 December
Wednesday 14 December
Friday 16 December
Saturday 17 December
Will TfL Tube services still run?
There are currently no Tube strikes planned before the end of 2022 and most TfL services will continue to run. However, there will be some disruption.