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Rail passengers face fresh chaos today as £60,000-a-year train drivers strike at six companies leaving vast swathes of the country with zero services

• READ MORE:  Train strikes grind Britain to a halt with four days of chaos (AGAIN)

By Sam Lawley

Published: 04:08 EDT, 6 April 2024 | Updated: 13:34 EDT, 6 April 2024

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Rail passengers are facing fresh chaos today after train drivers, on a median salary of £60,000, striked at six companies leaving vast swathes of Britain with zero services.

Aslef members at Chiltern, TransPennine Express and Northern walked out on Saturday morning leading to a full closure of all services amid an ongoing pay dispute.

Great Western Railway (GWR) drivers are also striking, with the operator saying that its services will be reduced while many parts of its network will have no trains all day.

A separate engineering issue means that the company will not run trains between London Paddington and Reading on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, LNER is planning to run just 35 services between London, Edinburgh and West Yorkshire, and Heathrow Express trains will not run before 7.25am or after 7pm.

Rail passengers are facing fresh chaos today as train drivers, on a median salary of £60,000, strike at six companies leaving vast swathes of Britain with zero services (pictured: Reading Station)

Aslef members at Chiltern, TransPennine Express and Northern will walk out on Saturday leading to a full closure of all services amid an ongoing pay dispute (pictured: Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan on the picket line at Euston on Friday)

Great Western Railway (GWR) drivers are also striking, with the operator saying that its services will be reduced while many parts of its network will have no trains all day (pictured: the picket line at Reading Station this morning)

A separate engineering issue means that the company will not run trains between London Paddington and Reading (pictured) on Saturday

The walkouts are set to cause mayhem up and down country with a full programme of football fixtures to go ahead despite the strikes (pictured: Reading Stattion)

A ban on overtime at 16 companies is also continuing today, causing further disruption.

The walkouts are set to cause mayhem up and down country with a full programme of football fixtures to go ahead despite the strikes.

And frustrated fans have taken to social media to vent their anger.

Rich Bell said: 'B***** strikes screwing up the football AGAIN!'

Nigel Blunt posted: '@ManCityHelp can you help me with a refund please, the train strikes have sabotaged my visit for the Luton game.'

And Mrs Fair added: '@wembleystadium I asked you a question (both on your online system a few days ago and on twitter today) about tomorrow's match and if you are allowed to resell at face value or less but no one has responded???? Please can you help, train strikes mean we can't go…'

It's not just football supporters who are set to have their plans affected by the walkouts. Concertgoers and sightseers have also had their weekends scuppered by the strikes.

One X user said: 'Booked a cool weekend in London with the lad. In other news, all trains are cancelled due to a strike.'

Football fans, concertgoers and sightseers have also had their weekends scuppered by the strikes

Mandy appealed to social media users for a last minute backup travel plan, posting: 'Can anyone recommend a good taxi company in Liverpool? B***** trains on strike for my gig.'

READ MORE:  Rail strikes chaos cost hospitality trade £5BILLION as travellers face more chaos this weekend 

Dennis Burrell faced a similar issue and added: 'Hi @FromtheJam1 me and my daughter can't make Saturday's gig due to transport strikes as we were travelling from Edinburgh to Manchester by train. I see on the website it's totally sold out if anyone wants to message me we would even sell both £32 tickets for £40. Thanks'

Meanwhile, another frustrated X user posted: 'Might not be going to trophy eyes tonight anymore. The stupid f****** train strikes have ruined a night I've been looking forward to for months. To say I'm p***** off is an understatement.'

And Tom added: 'I was originally going to the Pokemon centre this weekend but train strikes ruined that plan.'

On Friday, Aslef members walked out at five operators in the long-running pay dispute, which has led to a series of strikes, which the union claims has cost around £2 billion to the rail industry, a 'fraction' of what it says would resolve the dispute.

Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway all confirmed they would not run any services yesterday morning.

The latest walkouts are also affecting families travelling for the Easter holidays as most schools have broken up, causing gridlock as passengers switch to the roads.

Aslef says it wants to meet with train companies and ministers to try to break the deadlock, claiming that the Government does not want to resolve the row.

he latest walkouts are also affecting families travelling for the Easter holidays as most schools have broken up, causing gridlock as passengers switch to the roads (pictured: an empty platform at Reading Station)

Aslef says it wants to meet with train companies and ministers to try to break the deadlock, claiming that the Government does not want to resolve the row (pictured: an empty Reading station)

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: 'We've done 17 pay deals in the last 12 months across all sectors, nations and regions - freight, open-access, Elizabeth line, and Tube'

Yesterday it was reported that two years of rail strikes have cost the hospitality industry more than £5 billion

An empty London Euston railway station yesterday morning as the Aslef strike action began

A screen outside London Euston station advises passengers of strike action yesterday morning 

No meetings have been held between the union and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) for a year, or with Transport Secretary Mark Harper since December 2022.

Members of Aslef are staging three one-day strikes at 16 different train operators across England on dates between April 5 and next Monday (April 8). 

Which operators will be affected by rail strikes? 

Some 16 operators are affected by the Aslef strike - Avanti West Coast; c2c; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Govia Thameslink Railway (formed of Great Northern, Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink); Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express); Heathrow Express; LNER; London Northwestern Railway; Northern; Southeastern; South Western Railway; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Railway.

Here is the breakdown of how each one will be affected on each day:

TODAY - Saturday, April 6

• Chiltern Railways
• Great Western Railway
• Heathrow Express
• TransPennine Express

Monday, April 8

• Gatwick Express
• Greater Anglia
• Great Northern
• Southeastern
• South Western Railway
• Stansted Express

This is coupled with the six-day ban on overtime, which will be in force from April 4 until today and from next Monday (April 8) to Tuesday (April 9), causing further delays and cancellations.

On Thursday, London Underground drivers called off two planned 24-hour strikes at the last minute, as Union members were due to walk out on Monday April 8 and Saturday May 4.

On April 8, drivers from c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR's Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern (including Gatwick Express) Southeastern, South Western Railway are set to strike taking the disruption into a second week.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: 'We've done 17 pay deals in the last 12 months across all sectors, nations and regions - freight, open-access, Elizabeth line, and Tube.

'And yet we only have a problem with one place and the place we have a problem with is the Westminster Government, who are interfering with our pay deals with the private companies we work for.'

He said the union's primary issues were with the 'bad faith' train operators who refuse to negotiate because of 'political dogma' and the Government who 'don't care'.

Mr Whelan added: 'What they want to do is rip up every term and condition we've got.'

A new law was introduced last year aimed at ensuring minimum levels of service (MSL) during strikes, but none of the train operators have applied to use it.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer that remains on the table.

'Having resolved disputes with all other rail unions, the Transport Secretary and rail minister have ensured that a pay offer is on the table - taking train drivers' average salaries from £60,000 up to £65,000.'

A spokesperson for the RDG said: 'Minimum Service Level legislation is one of many useful tools for managing strike disruption, but it is not a silver bullet.

'Operators' guiding principle is always to make sure they can offer the best, most reliable services possible for their passengers on and around industrial action days, and to do that they need to make careful assessments of their own particular operational circumstances before deciding the best way forward.'

Yesterday it was reported that two years of rail strikes have cost the hospitality industry more than £5 billion.

Hospitality industry bodies urged Mr Whelan to consider the wider implications as they said that the latest strikes, set to continue into next week, are estimated to cost the industry £387 million.

UK Hospitality said strikes in 2024 have cost businesses almost £750 million, with the impact since 2022 now totalling £5 billion.

The sector was already struggling to recover post-Covid, with the cost-of-living crisis seeing pubs in parts of the country closing at record rates.

Kate Nicholls, of UK Hospitality, said: 'Hospitality continues to suffer as collateral damage in this dispute and it's putting at risk the many ways it serves Britain – offering great experiences, employing millions of people and putting billions of pounds into the economy.'

Michael Kill, of the Night Time Industries Association, said: 'Industrial action is taking its toll and has added to the challenges faced by the sector.'

 An empty Nottingham train station yesterday morning as the new Aslef rail strike began

Aslef boss Mick Whelan (centre) joined six train drivers outside London Euston on Friday wearing union-branded hi-vis vests waving flags and holding signs marking the official picket line 

A screen at London Euston station advised passengers of strike action yesterday morning

Train schedule screens were blank at London Euston station as the strike action began

Aslef says it wants to meet train companies and ministers to break the deadlock, claiming the Government does not want to resolve the row.

But last night a government source dismissed Mr Whelan's claim and said there is an offer for Aslef that would see train drivers paid £65,000 per year for a 35-hour, four-day week.

The source added: 'Aslef's continued strike action leaves them isolated among rail unions, given we have resolved the national disputes with all other rail unions.'

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Train derails between London Paddington and Reading with delays expected for hours

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Passengers have been warned of severe delays to their commute after a train derailed in London .

A freight train has derailed around West Ealing, west London, and is causing rush-hour disruption between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport and Reading.

Some trains could be cancelled, delayed up to 30 minutes or diverted, National Rail said, with disruption expected until the end of the day.

Elizabeth Line , Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express trains are affected

Elizabeth Line

Elizabeth Line between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4, Maidenhead and Reading is affected along with the route between London Paddington and Reading, and Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5.

Tickets are valid on Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Reading, Heathrow Express, London Underground and buses and South Western Railway between London Waterloo and Reading.

Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway, Oxford,Great Malvern, Hereford, Cardiff Central, Swansea, Carmarthen, Weston-super-Mare, Bristol Temple Meads, Newbury, Westbury, Frome, Taunton, Exeter St Davids, Paignton, Plymouth and Penzance is affected.

Passengers can take Chiltern Railways between London Marylebone and Oxford or Banbury at no extra cost, National Rail said.

Tickets are also accepted on Elizabeth Line, South Western Railway and London Underground between Paddington, Marylebone and Waterloo stations.

Latest London news

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To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk's London news hub .

Commuters heading to Slough, Maidenhead or Twyford should use Elizabeth Line.

Passengers were told to use Great Western high speed services between London Paddington and Reading to complete their journeys.

Stopping services between Didcot Parkway and London Paddington will only operate between Didcot and Reading, while services between Bedwyn and Newbury and London Paddington will only operate between Bedwyn/Newbury and Reading.

Some passengers may be entitled to compensation from their train operator.

It is worth checking with individual companies if they offer Delay Repay or delay compensation.

Legally, passengers are entitled to 50% of the ticket price if arriving to the destination between 30 minutes and an hour late, and a full refund if arriving more than an hour late.

Heathrow Express

Passengers will see delays between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5 until about 12 noon today.

This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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Daily Mail in Dallas for Solar Eclipse 2024 - where a million skygazers have traveled to Texas to get perfect view of rare cosmic event (which some locals didn't even know was happening!)

• More than 400,000 tourists are visiting Texas to watch the solar eclipse
• Some locals didn't know about the eclipse and think the excitement 'is silly'
• READ MORE:  New solar eclipse map shows path of totality could shift 

Walking the streets of Dallas on Saturday you wouldn't have a clue that a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event was due to occur in less than 48 hours.

More than 400,000 people have traveled to the city - and a million are expected in Texas as a whole - to be in the direct line of sight of the total solar eclipse.

There were no tacky stalls selling memorabilia or t-shirts that I could see, and several locals - astonishingly - had no idea what a solar eclipse was or that they were about to get one of the best views of it in North America.

It wasn't until I ventured into pubs and restaurants - and signed up for goat yoga, yes you read that right - that I found people who'd traveled from all over the US.

Most of the cosmic tourists I spoke to had come from California, which will be a pretty poor vantage point for the eclipse.

People who flew in from  California told me they were viewing the event from their relative's homes or from a rooftop restaurant, but others said they were taking their children to the Dallas Zoo to watch the eclipse alongside the elephants and giraffes.

A young child, Lily, told me she was excited to see the moon block the sun, but was even more excited to have flown on a plane for the first time.

Her parents, Kevin and Nicole, brought her to Dallas from the Bay area in California and laughed as they shared their euphoria at being part of the event.

Other families traveled from the Sunshine State including Patrick and Meagan who brought their two children from San Jose and said they plan to watch the solar eclipse from the Dallas Zoo to 'see how the animals react.'

'We just look for all sorts of events that were eclipse related,' Patrick said, adding that they showed their kids the yoga class and they were 'so excited.'

They were drawn to participate in goat yoga in the lead-up to the eclipse, telling me that when their daughter 'saw a goat in a tutu and she was all in.'

I joined in the fun at goat yoga which was unlike any yoga class I've ever attended as goats climbed on my back while in child's pose or in a cat/cow position.

It was thoroughly enjoyable until a goat, who had been following me around all class as I took pictures of the other yogis, walked across my mat and decided to use it as a toilet.

Instructor Christy Pedersen told me that she's never received any complaints about the class but always makes sure to warn people that a goat going to the bathroom on the mat is a possibility - it's just a shame that I didn't hear the announcement. 

While travelers continued to express their excitement to be a part of the events leading up to the solar eclipse , for many people in Dallas, it's just another day, or 'business as usual,' as tourists from around the world flock to the region - the city sees 25.7 million visitors each year.

Some locals admitted they didn't know the solar eclipse was even happening as they set up their weekly outdoor booths to sell homemade gifts to visitors of The Lone Star State - and other residents said the hype was 'just silly.'

The solar eclipse will extend 115 miles from Maine to Texas , with Dallas being one of the most popular cities for skygazers to visit as the totality - the amount of time the moon is in front of the sun - lasts for roughly four minutes.

Texans sat at booths stocked with their homemade crafts at the Anna sip n' shop event on Saturday, while others knocked back drinks at the bar - but it wasn't a celebration of the upcoming solar eclipse, it was just another day.

'I didn't expect a whole lot,' Reannon, who had a booth at the event, told DailyMail.com when asked what she thinks about tourists overwhelming the Dallas area. 

Reannon and her husband, George, were selling crocheted scarves and homemade soy candles.

'I didn't think we'd see any extra traffic until we started hearing all the news and the local Facebook page, things like that, like, oh, there's going to be more people coming through because of the eclipse,' she said. 

'I honestly didn't even realize what's happening until I saw it on Facebook.'

'It's not a big deal for us,' Reannon said, adding: 'I know a lot of people are like, 'Oh my gosh, it's the end of time!' But that's the silliest thing on the planet.

'I think it's just nature doing its thing and science doing its thing.'

Although some locals remain unimpressed heading into the solar eclipse, Dr Solange Ramirez, an astronomer from Carnegie Science Observatory in California, said this is the only time Dallas will see an event like this for another 200 years.

Ramirez said this would be her first time seeing a solar eclipse and was asked to partner with the Perot Museum to speak at events around Dallas about what people can expect.

She said the moon will start crossing in front of the sun at 12:20 p.m. CDT and will take a little longer than an hour to reach full totality.

The total solar occurs when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun, briefly turning the outdoors dark during the daytime. 

READ MORE:  Will clouds wreck YOUR eclipse viewing party? 

The solar eclipse will spread across 115 miles from Maine to Texas on Monday, but astronomers say the path of totality has shifted by 2,000 feet

At 1:40 p.m. CDT, viewers will see what's called the diamond ring effect, when you can only see a white outline around the edges of the moon which will last for three minutes and 52 seconds.

During the moment of totality, viewers can safely remove their solar eclipse glasses, Ramirez said, but when the moon starts exposing the sun again - it's imperative to put the glasses back on.

Universities and schools are closing early in preparation for the eclipse and to allow students to view this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Chris Lindsteadt discussed the cancellation of classes at the University of Texas at Dallas and the opportunity for his students to see the eclipse.

'I've been surprised by the number of people I've talked to who say they have family and friends that are flying in, said Lindsteadt. 

'I mean, it's a big deal, but I just It never dawned on me that you'd want to fly here just for that, but they picked a great place to come to and it's just pretty exciting.' 

An estimated 400,000 people are flying to Dallas to view the solar eclipse and about 90 percent of the hotels in the area are expected to reach full capacity. 

Edgar is a full-time Lyft driver who moved to the US from Mexico City eight years ago, but his only thought heading into the solar eclipse on Monday is his wife and two kids back home.

He still has relatives in Texas on his mother's side, but will likely spend the solar eclipse on his own, driving visitors to and from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

The bedlam that's expected to shake up the city likely won't affect people living in the suburbs like Melissa or Plano where locals said they'll just watch the event from the comfort of their own homes.

Some locals are excited for tourists to come to Dallas, including nine-year-old Tucker Tsirigos, who told DailyMail.com 'It would be so cool!'

'People can watch it from lawn chairs in their backyards or on the side of the road ... and the weather is so nice!,' he said, adding: 'People should come visit!'

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Angela Rayner ‘smears’ aim to distract from Tory chaos, says David Lammy

Shadow foreign secretary says deputy Labour leader has party’s support and has done nothing wrong

David Lammy has discredited questions over whether Angela Rayner owes capital gains tax (CGT) as “smears being run” to distract people from “Tory chaos” and the rising cost of living before the local elections.

The shadow foreign secretary said Rayner had Labour’s full support, that she had done nothing wrong, and that her tax arrangements had been subject to advice from accountants and lawyers.

Lammy’s defence of the deputy Labour leader came after the Mail on Sunday published another story on Rayner’s tax affairs, pointing to social media posts in which Rayner referred to her husband’s house as “home”, while saying her council house was her principal residence.

The newspaper has previously questioned whether she was liable to pay CGT on the sale of her former council house before she became an MP.

Rayner bought her council house on Vicarage Road, Stockport, in January 2007 for £79,000. She was registered on the electoral roll there from 2007 until 2015, was not registered to vote elsewhere and did not rent out the property.

Lammy said the newspaper merely provided evidence that Rayner “had and has a blended family”.

“You meet someone, they have children, a previous arrangement. Many families up and down the country live in more than one home,” he told Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme.

“That’s what the photos I saw reflect and it’s consistent with the advice that Angela took in terms of her tax affairs from accountants and from lawyers. I don’t think this is a story.”

Responding to mounting pressure for Rayner to publish the legal advice she received, Lammy added: “There is a different arrangement in expectation for the prime minister in this context, we’re not yet in government.”

Lammy added: “We all know that there’s an election in May. We know why these smears are being run is to detract from the £870 that average families are less well off in this country as a result of the tax burden. That’s what this is really about. It’s not about blended families … it’s about Tory chaos.”

Rayner paid the council tax and bills for the Vicarage Road property and lived in it before selling it in March 2015, it is understood, all before her election to parliament.

Greater Manchester police are reviewing a decision not to investigate claims Rayner may have broken electoral law.

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A Labour spokesperson said: “Angela and her husband mutually decided to maintain their existing residences to reflect their family’s circumstances, and they shared childcare responsibilities.

“Angela has always made clear she also spent time at her husband’s property when they had children and got married. She was perfectly entitled to do so.”

Lammy’s reference to the “political season” ahead came as deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden hinted a January 2025 election is still possible, as he said 2024 “is almost certainly an election year”.

The last possible date Rishi Sunak could delay an election to is 28 January 2025.

Guardian Newsroom: What is Labour’s plan? On Tuesday 16 April, 8pm-9.15pm BST, join Gaby Hinsliff, Tom Baldwin, Polly Toynbee and Kiran Stacey as they discuss the ideas and the events that might shape Labour in power. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live

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