Swindonians hoping to travel by train today are set to face significant disruptions as Great Western Railway (GWR) confirms they will only be running an “extremely limited service” due to strike action initiated by the RMT union.
The services on the affected routes commenced at 7 am but will cease running considerably earlier than usual, with the last train from London Paddington to Swindon arriving in at 7.12 pm.
Following this, no further arrivals will occur until Sunday. To avoid inconveniences, GWR advises all passengers intending to travel by train to check the status of their planned journey before embarking on their travels.
A spokesperson representing the railway company said, “The RMT union has announced strike action that will affect rail services on Saturday 29 July. In addition, there could be further disruption from Monday, July 31 to Saturday, August 5 and from Monday, August 7 to Saturday, August 12 due to industrial action short of a strike by the Aslef union. This is likely to cause some short-notice alterations or cancellations. Please check your journey before setting out.
“On the RMT strike days a reduced, revised timetable will operate across several train operators, including GWR. Many parts of the GWR network will have no service at all. Services will start later, finish much earlier, and only operate for a limited period during the day. During action short of a strike and the days after strikes, services could also be affected by a limited number of short-notice cancellations and alterations.
“If you intend to travel where trains are running, please check before you travel. Trains that are operating will be busier than usual because we will not be able to offer the normal service frequency. Other train operators are also affected by this action, so onward travel could also be affected. Where we are able to run services, they are expected to be extremely busy and we are not able to provide bus replacement services. Customers who purchased tickets but did not travel can claim a full refund or amend their ticket. Those who travelled and are delayed may be entitled to Delay Repay compensation if they are delayed by 15 minutes or more.”
The last trains to leave from Swindon today are:
- London Paddington – 1816 arriving in at 1912
- Bristol Temple Meads – 1824 arriving in at 1902
- Cardiff Central – 1740 arriving in at 1837
- Cheltenham – 1730 arriving in at 1829
In light of these disruptions, passengers are encouraged to stay informed, plan their journeys accordingly, and explore alternative travel options to mitigate the inconveniences caused by the strike action on the mentioned dates.
