Saturday 2 July 2022 05:12 PM More train strikes spark travel chaos at Stansted as huge lines form outside ... trends now
A train drivers' strike has caused chaos for travellers trying to get to and from Stansted airport today, with huge queues forming outside the terminal as hundreds waited for services.
Rail operator Greater Anglia cancelled more than 90 per cent of its services today after workers from the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) walked out in a dispute over pay.
The union has been calling for pay rise for its members amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that has seen household bills soar and inflation hit its highest level for decades.
The 24-hour walkout forced the closure of all regional and branch rail routes, as well as almost all trains in and out of London, with those that are running doing so on a severely reduced basis.
It caused misery for travellers, with no rail replacement buses available for trains cancelled by the strikes, while those rail services that were available were busier than normal.
At Stansted Airport hundreds of people were seeing queuing outside the terminal as they tried to board reduced rail services and busier than normal buses.
There were long queues at the train station at Stansted Airport this morning as a train drivers' strike impacted services to and from the airport
People queue outside Stansted this morning for buses, as a strike hit the number of rail services to and from the Airport
The strike meant the Stansted Express service between the airport and London is running less frequently than normal, while no other trains are stopping at the airport
The strike was called by ASLEF after its members voted in favour amid their ongoing dispute over pay with Greater Anglia.
It led to services between Colchester and London Liverpool Street, as well as the Stansted Express, starting later, running less often and finishing earlier than normal today.
The rail operator also said there will be no Greater Anglia trains between Cambridge North, Cambridge and London Liverpool Street, with the Norwich-London Liverpool Street intercity service limited to six trains in each direction across the whole day, with the last train back to Norwich at 9.30pm.
Union bosses said they 'are not naïve' and are fighting for their members as the cost-of-living squeezes household budgets across the country.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers' union, said: 'Many of our members have not had a pay rise since 2019.
Mike Whelan, general secretary of the ASLEF union, said he was fighting for his members by calling the strike. Here he is pictured speaking at a Palestinian Solidarity Campaign at the Hilton Hotel, Liverpool, in 2018
Greater Anglia runs services between Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and London. IT said it has had to remove 90 per cent of services due to run today because of the strike
'We will fight to maintain the pay, terms & conditions, and the pensions of our members. We are not naïve.
'The train companies are doing very well out of Britain's railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and we are not going to work longer, for less.
'We want a pay rise, for train drivers, who kept people and goods moving during the pandemic, in line with the cost of living, so that we are not, in real terms, worse off.'
Sunday services will start later in the morning than usual tomorrow as the 24-hour strike has a knock-on effect into the next day.
James Burles, managing director of Greater Anglia, apologised for the impact the strikes would have on travellers.
Speaking last week, he said: 'Please avoid travelling on our trains this Saturday. Unfortunately, with our drivers on strike, it's only possible to run a heavily reduced service and only on some routes.
'We can't replace all the trains not running due to the strike, with rail replacement buses, so it will just be an extremely limited train service running on Saturday, so we strongly advise passengers to make alternative
