No London Midland Trains - 23rd Dec '10

[Ibex]

For anybody who uses London Midland services and isn't aware yet, there will be no London Midland services from 00:00 until 23:59 on Thursday 23rd December due to industrial action by members of the drivers union, ASLEF. However a normal service will operate on the Stourbridge Town branch.

No rail replacement bus services will operate, ticket acceptance as follows:

• Chiltern Railways between Kidderminster - Birmingham - Warwick - Aylesbury - London Marylebone.
• Cross Country between Stoke-on-Trent - Stafford - Birmingham New St.
  Birmingham New Street - Nuneaton - Tamworth - Leicester (for EMT to London)
• East Midlands Trains between Leicester - Wellingborough - London St Pancras.
  Stoke-on-Trent - Kidsgrove - Alsager - Crewe.
  Liverpool Lime St - Liverpool South Parkway - Warrington Ctl.
• First Capital Connect between Bedford - Luton - St Albans - London St Pancras.
• First Great Western between Hereford - Worcester - Cheltenham.
• London Overground between Watford Jnc - Harrow - London Euston.
• Northern between Liverpool Lime St and Liverpool South Parkway.
• Southern betwen Milton Keynes - Tring - Watford Junction - Harrow
• Virgin Trains between Liverpool Lime Street - Runcorn - Crewe - Stafford - London Euston.
  Wolverhampton - Birmingham - Coventry - Watford - London Euston.
  Stoke-on-Trent - Milton Keynes Ctl - London Euston.
  Warrington Bank Quay - London Euston (for connections to Liverpool).

Passengers choosing not to travel can request a refund which will take 28 days to process. Passengers with Advance tickets dated 23-12-10 can travel on the 22nd or 24th, or any day between the 27th and 31st.

Further information available http://www.londonmidland.com/strike/.

 

[warriorofrovac]

I have an advance ticket from Liverpool Lime Street to Birmingham New Street around 11am.

I know that I can get any London Midland service on the 22nd or 24th from LIV to BHM, however if I still wanted to travel on the 23rd. How would I do my journey?

I am aware that I can get EMT from Lime Street to Warrington Central, walk to Warrington Bank Quay and get Virgin Trains from there to New Street, but I will have a lot of luggage and would prefer not to walk. Is there another option?

 

[TheBigD]

Lime Street to Stafford with Virgin, then Stafford to Brum with XC.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

Does that mean I can buy a Super Off Peak LM Only ticket from Liverpool to London for £16.15 then travel on a direct Virgin service?

 

[Ibex]

It does indeed! I've been thinking the exact same!

 

[Bevan Price]

I have an advance ticket from Liverpool Lime Street to Birmingham New Street around 11am.

I know that I can get any London Midland service on the 22nd or 24th from LIV to BHM, however if I still wanted to travel on the 23rd. How would I do my journey?

I am aware that I can get EMT from Lime Street to Warrington Central, walk to Warrington Bank Quay and get Virgin Trains from there to New Street, but I will have a lot of luggage and would prefer not to walk. Is there another option?

Liverpool Lime St - Warrington Bank Quay all stations, hourly at that time of day (weather permitting)
Bevan

 

[A0wen]

I think the whole strike is very irresponsible.

They're picking a time which is designed to cause a huge amount of inconvenience and distress to people who are trying to travel to visit family and friends for the Christmas season.

Northampton will probably have NO train service at all as a result of this and many other key towns in the midlands will have a minimal service.

The travelling public are unlikely to be sympathetic to this, particularly given the demands seem to be excessive, given the current state of the economy. Many people in the private sector have had no pay increases for the last couple of years and fail to see why ASELF should be able to hold the travelling public to ransom.

At least one benefit of privatisation is that they can't pull the whole network to a halt.

 

[ushawk]

There will be a very limited service between Northampton and Euston as well.

 

[Simon Poole]

They put the strike at the best time of year! i normally catch the train from Rugeley Town to Stafford, but since there be no trains i will be forced to take an Arriva Bus to Stafford which will be busy

 

[googolplex]

Does anybody know if they're going to attempt to run a service on the Bedford-Bletchley line, or is that off as well?

 

[DarloRich]

Does anybody know if they're going to attempt to run a service on the Bedford-Bletchley line, or is that off as well?

that is off as well i understand

 

[northwichcat]

Liverpool Lime St - Warrington Bank Quay all stations, hourly at that time of day (weather permitting)
Bevan

Or Liverpool Lime Street-Man Victoria service as far as Earlestown then Piccadilly-Llandudno service to Warrington Bank Quay.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

However a normal service will operate on the Stourbridge Town branch.

Why is this the only line running and how many people will use it if there are no connections at Stourbridge Junction?

 

[Jordy]

I believe the Stoubridge shuttle is operated by an external company on behalf of LM, or something like that.

 

[TomJ93]

Is it bad that I'm really looking forward to using lm tickets on virgin services? And it's the same day as the Rpretendo!

 

[northwichcat]

Northampton will probably have NO train service at all as a result of this and many other key towns in the midlands will have a minimal service.

Northampton gets occasional VT Birmingham-London services calling at it.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Northampton gets occasional VT Birmingham-London services calling at it.

Thre's one off Rugby in the morning, as well as one in the dead of night northbound and southbonud to/from Euston-Birmingham N St/Wolverhampton

 

[IanPooleTrains]

So here is a quick one for y'all

Let's say I buy a super off peak on LM and then am forced onto Virgin, can I travel at any time or does it have to be during the super off peaks time frame??

 

[scrapy]

Or Liverpool Lime Street-Man Victoria service as far as Earlestown then Piccadilly-Llandudno service to Warrington Bank Quay.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

LM only tickets would not be valid on this route. Northern are only accepting LM tickets from Lime St to South Parkway, so you could not use them to Earlestown or WBQ. ATW not accepting them either.

 

[matt]

On BBC Midlands today they said that London Midland was going to court this afternoon to get the strike over-turned.

 

[Greenback]

That is the usual response. It does little to settle the udnerlying issues, however, and if the court action is successful it merely postpones the action to a future date. Unless, of course, the time gained is used for meaningful and productive negotiations!

 

[DarloRich]

On BBC Midlands today they said that London Midland was going to court this afternoon to get the strike over-turned.

Typical aproach since the BA dispute i am afraid - This will now be a standard "management" tactic when combating strikes

 

[Clip]

Typical aproach since the BA dispute i am afraid - This will now be a standard "management" tactic when combating strikes

of course it is. Its the only thing left to them really.

Though i notice that when combating a stalemate in negotiating T&Cs a strike seems to be all the unions threaten and do carry out..

Both sides of the same coin imo

 

[DarloRich]

But there is an argument that it is easier to let the strike go ahead and use PR to make the union look bad. Get public opinion on side and make them back down.

Agreed - that is all the unions can do isnt it.

 

[Greenback]

Yes, unions and employees have very few effective weapons that they can use to try and influence an employer to improve an offer.

 

[Pumbaa]

Strike now cancelled on 23rd - LM won injunction from High Court, citing ballot discrepancies.

 

[A0wen]

Strike now cancelled on 23rd - LM won injunction from High Court, citing ballot discrepancies.

Good news from my point of view as I was going to have to use an alternative on Thus.

Am I being cynical in wondering about the coincidence of all the different rail strikes being called over the Christmas holiday? Perhaps a few union members wanting an extended break.....

 

[Pumbaa]

http://www.londonmidland.com/news/l...delighted-for-passengers-as-strike-is-halted/

Not cynical at all! I am favourable of the trade unions, but I am also favourable of sound economics... The two don't always marry!

 

[313103]

Strike now cancelled on 23rd - LM won injunction from High Court, citing ballot discrepancies.

The ballot discreprencies involved 3 Yes 3 ballot papers out of 605!

Now even someone like me could understand if over 300 ballots papers had discreprencies, but 3 ballot papers when over 85% of thsoe who voted, voted yes, would hardly make a difference. But i suppose the law is the law no matter whether its an ass or not.

As well it also shows that London Midland seem to be unwilling to seriously sort out the harminisation problems, echos of NEG's ownership of the Greater Anglia franchise indeed.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Good news from my point of view as I was going to have to use an alternative on Thus.

Am I being cynical in wondering about the coincidence of all the different rail strikes being called over the Christmas holiday? Perhaps a few union members wanting an extended break.....

with all due respect I find that insulting
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The ballot discreprencies involved 3 Yes 3 ballot papers out of 605!

Now even someone like me could understand if over 300 ballots papers had discreprencies, but 3 ballot papers when over 85% of thsoe who voted, voted yes, would hardly make a difference. But i suppose the law is the law no matter whether its an ass or not.

As well it also shows that London Midland seem to be unwilling to seriously sort out the harminisation problems, echos of NEG's ownership of the Greater Anglia franchise indeed.

Tories are in we might as well get used to it

 

[ainsworth74]

Tories are in we might as well get used to it

And there were never any strikes under Labour?

Edit: Just realised I missed the point you were making. Sorry