As part of what is a very long-running dispute with the Department for Transport (DfT) over pay and working conditions, train drivers who are members of the ASLEF union have agreed to stage another series of strikes towards the end of this month and the start of the next.
It has been announced that strike action will take place on the nation’s rail networks between Tuesday 30 January and Monday 5 February 2024.
ASLEF members will walk out from 16 train operators over a number of dates throughout that week.
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Find out why train drivers are taking strike action and read about the background to the dispute: https://t.co/hyu769ssko
First up, on Tuesday 30 January, members will strike at Southeastern, GTR Southern/Gatwick Express, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, SWR Island Line, and South Western Railway, with Northern Trains and Transpennine Trains to follow on Wednesday 31 January – the latter of which is set to affect much of the North West region.
Then, on Friday 2 February, strikes will be staged on Greater Anglia, C2C, and LNER services, before on West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, and East Midlands Railway follow on Saturday 3 February, and Great Western, CrossCountry, and Chiltern close out the week of industrial action on Monday 5 February.
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On top of these actual strike dates, an ‘overtime ban’ is also in place for the week, meaning further disruption to usual services is expected as drivers will also refuse to work overtime from Monday 29 January until Tuesday 6 February.
Members of the ASLEF union will stage a series of strikes at the end of this month / Credit: National Rail
ASLEF strike dates January & February 2024
Tuesday 30 January – Southeastern, GTR Southern/Gatwick Express, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, SWR Island Line, South Western Railway Depot Drivers, and South Western Railway mainline drivers
Wednesday 31 January – Northern Trains, and Transpennine Trains
Friday 2 February – Greater Anglia, C2C, and LNER
Saturday 3 February – West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, and East Midlands Railway
Monday 5 February – Great Western Railway, CrossCountry, and Chiltern
“We have given the Government every opportunity to come to the table,” commented Mick Whelan, who is the General Secretary of ASLEF, as the fresh round of train driver strikes were announced yesterday.
“But it has now been a year since we had any contact from the Department for Transport, and it’s clear they do not want to resolve this dispute.
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“Many of our members have now not had a single penny increase to their pay in half a decade, during which inflation soared, and with it the cost of living. Train drivers didn’t even ask for an increase during the COVID-19 pandemic when they worked throughout as keyworkers, risking their lives to allow NHS and other workers to travel.
Industrial action is part of a long-running dispute with the Government over pay and working conditions / Credit: Northern
“The Government has now tried their old trick of changing the rules when they can’t win and brought in Minimum Service Levels legislation, but this new law, as we told officials during the consultation period, won’t ease industrial strife – it will likely just make it worse.”
Mr Whelan claimed there’s “no excuse” for the Government’s actions.
“The Government and train operating companies must come to the table with a realistic offer so we can end this dispute and work together to ensure the future of our railways,” he concluded.
Featured Image – National Rail
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The UK looks set for a ’30°C heatwave’ this summer, according to weather expert
Danny Jones
It’s been a bit of an up-and-down spring but the warm weather is finally starting to arrive here in Manchester, with temperatures reaching up to 21°C this week and the summery vibes only set to increase over the next month or so as meteorologists are predicting a 30°C heatwave soon enough.
March onwards has been a pure mix of blustery winds, grey skies and flashes of rainfall, with just a few glimpses of sun peeking through and the thermometer has still been struggling to get into double digits – until now anyway.
As we leave April behind, the forecast across the UK is looking a lot brighter and according to the likes of the Met Office, those numbers are going to keep creeping as we head deeper into the month.
In fact, some experts are predicting that Britain could be set for a heatwave with temperatures of 30°C and over in just over a month’s time. It better bloody hurry up, put it that way.
According to Jim Dale, Senior Meteorologist at British Weather Services, while much of May will be a bit of a mixed bag, “towards the latter stage and into June and July… we will see climbing temperatures well into the 30s in the prone areas.”
As reported by Birmingham Live, while Dale didn’t detail the kind of heat Manchester can expect, specifically, the indication is that the region is beginning to dry and the country as a whole is now heading “in the right direction”.
Although it likely won’t be until the very tail end of May that we start to see the summer as we know rolling in, the trends around the continent are suggesting positive signs, adding that “a lot of Europe is getting the scorching hot temperatures” of late.
The Met Office’s Tom Morgan also warned The Guardian that we get anything close to a heatwave this month, so we’ll have to be patient and wait for the turn come June time, especially up North.
Temperatures are on the rise this week, but not everywhere will see the warmth all the time 🌡️
Oban in the west of Scotland sees a steady increase towards the weekend 📈
Where as Newcastle will see its highest temperature today before dropping off later in the week 📉 pic.twitter.com/gUOXDjm8YF
While we did enjoy a heatwave in September of last year, hitting a top end of 33.5°C, the chances of the country challenging the most recent temperature record sat back in 2022 (40.3°C in July 2023) are still looking slim.
April has been described as a “month of two halves” overall and let’s just say we’re looking forward to a strong showing this May.
Where in Greater Manchester are you most looking forward to heading when summer finally arrives?
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Dunk (via Flickr)
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Co-op Live assures fans arena WILL open this week in time for Olivia Rodrigo and other gigs
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s huge new arena the Co-op Live has assured fans that it will definitely, actually, for sure open this week.
The staggering new music venue beside the Etihad Stadium has been hit by a couple of high-profile delays in the last fortnight.
Although a test event with Rick Astley went ahead on 21 April, giving a small audience a glimpse inside the state-of-the-art arena, the brakes were slammed on soon afterwards.
Co-op Live pushed its opening date back while it ironed out some kinks, namely ‘power supply issues’, and underwent rigorous testing to ‘run all shows safely’.
That meant Peter Kay was rescheduled to 29 and 30 April… but then got postponed again, along with The Black Keys, who were meant to perform last weekend.
All the delays have left fans panicking that their shows will also be delayed, with some huge shows like Olivia Rodrigo, Take That, and Liam Gallagher lined up in the coming weeks and months.
But Co-op Live has now issued a statement reassuring gig-goers that they are full steam ahead and ready to open as planned this week.
The first act to perform here officially will now be A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie on 1 May (not quite as local a name as they were gunning for, but we move).
He’ll be followed by Olivia Rodrigo and her Guts Tour, who will perform two sold-out gigs on 3 and 4 May.
Olivia Rodrigo has announced a Manchester gig at Co-op Live. Credit: Nick WalkerKeane – Photography by ALEX LAKE insta @twoshortdays WWW.TWOSHORTDAYS.COMOlivia Rodrigo and Keane will both play Co-op Live in Manchester this week when it finally opens
Then Keane will play the Co-op Live on 5 May to mark 20 years since the release of Hopes and Fears.
Co-op Live posted: “Let’s do this! Less than 48 hours until we kick off our full opening season.
“Our scheduled shows with @aboogievsartist, @oliviarodrigo and @keaneofficial are going ahead.
“Ticket holders can expect an email with everything they need to know about this week’s events to land in your inboxes tomorrow!”
Fans have breathed a sigh of relief at the news, with one person writing: “YAY THANK GOD OMG THIS IS AMAZING WAS LITERALLY HAVJNG A MENTAL BREAKDOWN BOUT OLIVIA BEING CANCELLED.”
Another commented: “THANK GOD!!! 4th mayyyy.”
Someone else posted: “IM SO HAPPY AHHHHHH I’VE BEEN NERVOUS ALL WEEK BUT NOW I KNOW ITS GONNA BE FINE AHHH.”
Olivia Rodrigo fans are BIG believers in an all-caps comment, clearly.
Co-op Live will open in Manchester on Wednesday 1 May.
It’s going to be worth the wait, we’re pretty sure…
Emily Sergeant -
16th January 2024 
