Talks between union leaders and rail companies to end rail disputes are currently ongoing, but passengers across the UK have been told to still expect delays and cancellations all week.
The warning to all those travelling by train to brace for affected services comes as most railway lines will be closed during the nationwide industrial strike action – which started yesterday, and will commence on Thursday and Saturday – as workers take part in what is the biggest walkout in the industry for more than 30 years in a row over pay, jobs, and conditions.
The RMT Union officially confirmed earlier this month that over 50,000 railway workers will walk out on 21, 23 and 25 June due to what is said to be the “inability of the rail employers to come to a negotiated settlement” with the RMT.
Strike action comes after 71% of the RMT’s 40,000 members took part in a vote – with 89% voting in favour of strike action and only 11% voting against it.
The RMT Union said the strike action is because Network Rail and the train operating companies have subjected their staff to multiyear pay freezes, and plan to cut thousands of jobs – which will make the railways “unsafe”.
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Members of the RMT Union at Network Rail and 13 train operators – including Northern and Avanti West Coast – have subsequently made the decision to strike, with only around one in five trains expected to be running.
A special timetable will operate in England, Wales and Scotland from Monday 20 to Sunday 26 June inclusive.
The timetable – published on Friday – will aim to offer the best service possible despite industrial action planned next week by the RMT union:
Although today is not officially a strike day, only 60% of trains are expected to run across the UK, and Network Rail has said that this is mostly because of a delay to the start of services, as signallers and control room staff are not doing overnight shifts.
As strike action officially began yesterday following unsuccessful last-minute talks, much of Britain had no passenger trains for the entire day, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and other rural and coastal areas across the country.
Large swathes of Greater Manchester and the North West was affected, and will continue to be affected, by the strike action.
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Only 60% of trains are expected to run across the UK on non-strike days / Credit: Network Rail
Although many chose to work from home where possible after being told to “give up on trains for the whole week”, for those who did need to travel, when train services were running yesterday – which were in very limited numbers and unpredictable – many passengers’ journeys took several hours longer than normal.
Those who chose to take the bus or travel by car were impacted by a surge in traffic, which the AA and RAC said earlier this week was unfortunately “inevitable”.
Mick Lynch – General Secretary at the RMT Union – hailed the “fantastic” turnout at picket lines which “exceeded expectations” yesterday and has vowed to continue the campaign this week, adding that RMT members are “leading the way for all workers” across the UK.
“Now is the time to stand up and fight for every single railway worker in this dispute that we will win,” he said in a statement yesterday.
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RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch on today's rail strike: "@RMTunion members are leading the way for all workers in this country who are sick and tired of having their pay and conditions slashed by a mixture of big business profits and government policy."https://t.co/XWU43zdz8hpic.twitter.com/ikvMTGmLkt
In response to the first day of nationwide strike action, a Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Unions have shut down big parts of the rail network, hitting local businesses and unfairly cutting people off from hospitals, schools and work.
“However, early data shows that unlike in the past many people now have the opportunity to work from home, so we haven’t even a rush to the roads, as traffic has instead gone online.
“This means the unions aren’t having the overall impact they might have hoped.”
Featured Image – Network Rail
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Fire service urges Greater Manchester public to ‘act responsibly’ as heatwave continues
Emily Sergeant
People across Greater Manchester and beyond are being urged by the fire service to ‘act responsibly’ as the heatwave continues this week.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has issued an urgent plea residents and visitors to take extra care on moorland and in rural areas as part of the annual ‘Be Moor Aware’ campaign – which is aimed at preventing wildfires and reducing the impact they have.
GMFRS has issued the plea alongside its partners at United Utilities, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), neighbouring fire and rescue services, and local councils.
It comes as Amber Extreme Heat warnings and heat-health alerts have been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through to Thursday this week – with temperatures widely exceeding 35°C nationwide, and in some areas – particularly on the south coast – potentially even reaching 38°C.
Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
The fire service urges the Greater Manchester public to ‘act responsibly’ as the heatwave continues / Credit: Mick Garrett (via Geograph)
It does seem, however, that northern parts of the country – especially the North West – are missing most of the extremely hot conditions, with current forecasts indicating peak temperatures of 33°C.
But this doesn’t stop the wildfire risk, and the fire service is warning that prolonged periods of dryness but the countryside in danger.
GMFRS data shows there have been 83 wildfires across Greater Manchester since 2021, including a significant rise in 2025, when 38 incidents were record, and there has already been six wildfires recorded in 2026.
“Wildfires can spread rapidly, especially during warm and dry weather, putting lives, wildlife and property at risk,” explained GMFRS Wildfire Lead, Adrian Taylor.
“Many of these fires are preventable, and we’re asking everyone to take responsibility when visiting our moorland areas. Small actions, such as not using disposable barbecues and taking litter home, can make a huge difference in preventing devastating fires.”
GMFRS added that ‘prevention remains our most effective tool’.
“We’re asking the public to help reduce the risk by acting responsibly when visiting moorland areas,” the statement concluded.
Featured Image – Emma Renly (via Unsplash)
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Greater Manchester’s heritage railway issues statement as it’s forced to cancel services this week
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway has been forced to cancel its services this weekend due to the heatwave.
In case you hadn’t heard, Amber Extreme Heat warnings and heat-health alerts have been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through to Thursday this week – with temperatures widely exceeding 35°C nationwide, and in some areas – particularly on the south coast – potentially even reaching 38°C.
Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
It does seem, however, that northern parts of the country – especially the North West – are missing most of the extremely hot conditions.
Current forecasts indicate that the peak temperatures for Greater Manchester this week will be tomorrow and Thursday, with highs of 33°C in the city centre.
Despite not reaching the heights of the south, East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has still had to act in advance and has taken the decision to cancel its scheduled services for the next two days as the forecast is ‘too severe’.
Taking to social media to share its decision today, ELR wrote: “Due to the current weather warning for the UK, the decision has been taken to cancel all services on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June 2026, including the afternoon tea and mid-week luncheon dining experiences.
“The welfare of both staff and customers is paramount to the ELR, and we believe that the risk in the extreme heat that has been forecast is too severe to allow for the running of our ordinary services.”
As things stand, ELR says its current plan is to have services resume with the evening dining train on Friday 26 June, but this will still be ‘subject to review’, and further updates on this will be issued later in the week.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd June 2022 
