It has been announced the RMT have decided to hold their 37th and 38th strike on the 8th and 9th November. I am very frustrated that this decision has been taken, along with the lack of progress in talks.
As we brace for the upcoming strikes on the 8th and 9th by the RMT union, it is now clear that the strike action will be carried out on South Western trains as well as Southern. The expected service implications have been sent to me by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), (see below).
We will be running a normal service on most Southern routes during the RMT’s strike on Wednesday and Thursday, 8 and 9 November.
A full Southern service will is planned except for the following:
A limited West London line service will operate
Some peak hour services between Ashford International, Rye and Hastings will not run
The four trains a day that run in each direction between Leatherhead and Guildford will not run
Five services to and from Littlehampton and one at Eastbourne will not operate
Gatwick Express will operate its current service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport / Brighton. Thameslink will run a full service between London Blackfriars / London Bridge and Brighton.
South Western Railway services are also expected to be affected by strike action on the same days and the following Southern routes are expected to be busier as a result:
Portsmouth Harbour/Southampton Central to London Victoria
Dorking to London Victoria
Wimbledon to London Bridge and London Victoria (Thameslink services may also be busier)
Clapham Junction to London Victoria
Full details of service changes can be found at www.southernrailway.com/dispute and passengers are advised to check before they travel for updates on the day.
