GWR lays out timetables changes ahead of continued strikes – Reading Today Online

TRAIN operators have urged rail travellers to check journeys ahead of strike action through this week and into the weekend.

Great Western Railway (GWR) and South Western Railway (SWR) are among the operators set to see disruption from Wednesday, May 31, to Saturday, June 3.

Both RMT and Aslef unions, representing drivers, station staff, and on-board staff, are set to strike as part of an ongoing dispute over conditions and pay.

GWR has laid out how the strike action will affect its services and what routes will be running during the week.

Aslef is striking on Wednesday, May 31, meaning there will be significant disruption, and GWR is only running limited services from Reading to Didcot and Basingstoke, with replacement bus services running between Didcot and Oxford.

Services from Reading to Redhill and Newbury will also be running limited services during peak times only.

Services will be running between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads, Westbury and Swindon, Cardiff and Bristol, Exeter and Barnstaple, Plymouth and Gunnislake, and Penzance and St Ives, though these will all be extremely limited too.

While there is not a full strike taking place on Thursday, June 1, GWR is expecting short-notice cancellations and continued disruption.

Services will run as scheduled, though there will be some changes to late-night services in anticipation of action the following day.

Friday, June 2, will see members of the RMT union taking strike action, affecting GWR and SWR services.

GWR will run very limited services from Reading to Basingstoke and Redhill, with reduced services running from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads, Didcot, Cardiff, and Plymouth.

Reduced services will also run between Gloucester and Swindon, London Paddington and Bedwyn, Greenford and West Ealing, Slough and Windsor, Maidenhead and Bourne End, Twyford and Slough, Oxford and Banbury, Cardiff and Westbury, and Bristol Temple Meads and Plymouth.

On Saturday, June 3, very limited services will run from Reading to Basingstoke, with routes from Reading to Redhill, Newbury, and Swindon running at peak times only.

The Reading to Didcot route will be replaced with a replacement bus.

Reduced services will run between London Paddington and Bristol, Westbury and Swindon, Cardiff and Bristol, Exeter and Barnstaple, Plymouth and Gunnislake, and Penzance and St Ives.

While no strike action is taking place on Sunday, June 4, GWR is anticipating some disruption.

Tickets for Wednesday, May 31 can be used on the day before the date on the ticket or up to and including Friday 2 June

Tickets for Friday and Saturday, June 3-4, can be used on the day before or up to and including Tuesday, June 6.