Some of the busiest routes in the UK are set to be impacted by an ongoing train drivers strike on Monday (April 8).

Aslef members have walked out for a third day (out of the past four) of strike action as part of an ongoing pay dispute, crippling services across the country.

Commuters on services into London will be among passengers affected on Monday, along with services in East Anglia and the South East.

Full list of services affected by today's train strike by Aslef

Monday's train strike is set to hit the following train companies:

  • c2c
  • Gatwick Express
  • Greater Anglia
  • Southeastern
  • Southern
  • South Western Railway
  • Great Northern
  • Thameslink

South Western Railway said a significantly reduced service will operate on a small number of lines, while the rest of its network will be closed. Trains will only run between 7am and 7pm.

Southern said there will be no trains running across the vast majority of its network, with a limited shuttle service running non-stop between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.

There will be no Thameslink services running, except for a limited shuttle service calling at Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and London St Pancras and another limited non-stop shuttle service between London Kings Cross and Cambridge.

There will be no Great Northern or Gatwick Express services. However, Gatwick Airport will continue to be served by the limited non-stop Southern shuttle.

Southeastern said most of its routes and stations will be closed. There will be an extremely limited service where trains are running and the operator advised customers not to travel.

A statement said: “If you do travel, expect severe disruption, plan ahead and allow much more time for your journey.

“Trains that are running will be extremely busy, they start later and finish early. You may be unable to board trains at some stations, and we estimate that there could be queues for up to two hours due to the very limited service.

"Only 29 out of 165 Southeastern stations will be open. No rail replacement buses will serve stations that are closed.”

No c2c trains will run on Monday.

Rob Mullen, c2c managing director, said: “I’m really disappointed that an agreement with Aslef hasn’t been reached.

"The impact of this ongoing action is significant for our customers and colleagues.

"I’m hopeful that further meetings with the unions are productive and see progress made toward concluding this challenging time for the railway.”

Greater Anglia said its first trains of the day will start later and last trains finish earlier than normal, excluding the Stansted Express.

An hourly train service will operate on the following Greater Anglia routes:

  • Norwich/Colchester and London Liverpool Street
  • Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street
  • Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street

A bi-hourly train service will run between Cambridge and London.

No other Greater Anglia services will operate on any other routes.

Aslef members at 16 train companies are also banning overtime on Monday and Tuesday (April 8 and 9) which will also disrupt services.

Gazette: Nine train companies will be affected today (April 8) by Aslef driver strikes.Nine train companies will be affected today (April 8) by Aslef driver strikes. (Image: PA)

National Express has added thousands of extra seats across its UK-wide coach network.

The coach operator was expecting to carry over 13% more passengers during the strike weekend and added around 100 more coach departures on popular routes to meet customer demand.

What is the train strike about?

Aslef is embroiled in a near two-year long dispute over pay, with no sign of a breakthrough and no talks planned.

The union says the dispute has cost the industry more than £2 billion, way more than it would have cost to resolve the conflict.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said his members remained solidly behind the industrial action, and criticised the Government and rail companies for the lack of contact over the past year.

RECOMMENDED READING:

The Government introduced a new law last year aimed at ensuring minimum levels of service during strikes, but none of the train companies have opted 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.”