In the last hour or so it has been announced by the ASLEF train drivers union that 16 rail companies will go on strike between the 7th & 9th May.
I am supposed to be attending a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday the 8th of May in recognition of my work to improve the accessibility of our pavement and rail networks across England.
I have spent the last 5 months working with officials from West Midlands Trains (WMT) to improve the provision offered to the disabled community at there unstaffed stations.
I was planning to take the train from Hereford to London Paddington via Newport (south wales) however this now will not be possible.
I would be able to stomach today’s announcement if it was the week before when I am supposed to be visiting Birmingham & Sheffield for a couple of sporting events.
As a wheelchair user the rail network is my life line if I want to go anywhere independently because I am unable to drive for medical reasons.
It feels like the enjoyment and sense of pride around attending a royal garden party has gone following this news that I wasn’t expecting.
The 16 rail companies will be striking on the following days, meaning that there will be no services running across there network.
Tuesday May 7th: c2c, Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express and South Western Railway.
Wednesday May 8th: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, Crosscountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, West Midlands Railway.
Thursday May 9th: LNER, Northern and Transpennine Express
The latest round of industrial action on the railway will be the fourth week of chaos staged by ASLEF since last December when it altered its tactics in the dispute that has lasted nearly 2 years.
As I have said at various times during the last couple of years, the rail unions like ASLEF have taken away the disabled communities independence by staging this action.
My message to the ASLEF train drivers union is brutal but simple one, please just move on from the strikes and accept the latest offer that was put on the table by the DFT (Department for Transport) and RDG (Rail Delivery Group).
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Cam
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