New rail strike action to cost sector £350m

The latest disruption will be another blow to venues which have already lost more than £4bn in sales from rail strikes.

The industrial action will take place from late January as part of a long-running dispute over pay.

Aslef union members will strike for 24 hours at each train-operating company on the national railway on different days been Tuesday 30 January and Monday 5 February.

Drivers will also refuse work overtime from Monday 29 January until Tuesday 6 February.

An overtime ban will also be in place from 29 January to 6 February.

UKH chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “Once again, hospitality businesses are left dismayed by strike action which will be significantly detrimental to sales and see bookings cancelled.

“January and February are already two of the quieter months of the year for venues and this disruption will make it even more painful.

“We estimate this set of strikes will cost hospitality almost £350m, on top of the £4 billion in lost sales the sector has already had to withstand.

“We continue to urge all parties involved to urgently reach an agreement and resolve this dispute. Ongoing strike action hurts businesses, prevents people from getting to work and significantly erodes confidence in the rail network.”

When will train drivers be striking?

• Tuesday 30 January: Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink, South Western Railway and SWR Island Line
• Wednesday 31 January: Northern Trains, Transpennine Express
• Friday 2 February: Greater Anglia, C2C, LNER
• Saturday 3 February: West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway
• Monday 5 February: Great Western, CrossCountry, Chiltern

The first strike in this dispute by Aslef was in July 2022, and the row is now in its third calendar year.

Operators not involved in industrial action, for example ScotRail and Transport for Wales, should run normal services.

There will be no strike action on Thursday 1 February or Sunday 4 February.