UK rail strikes this weekend: RMT scales back to Chiltern only
The RMT has cut its action to one Saturday walkout on Chiltern Railways. Trans Pennine Express action is off, according to Trainline.
Key points
- The RMT will strike only on Saturday, affecting some Chiltern Railways services, after scaling back its plans.
- Trans Pennine Express strikes planned for 18 and 25 October are no longer going ahead, according to Trainline.
- Chiltern says it expects to run the vast majority of its services.
- The dispute is over the second person on board proposed East West Rail services.
UK rail strikes this weekend are far narrower than first planned. The RMT union will now strike only on Saturday 17 October, affecting some Chiltern Railways services, according to LBC. Trainline says the union has dropped Trans Pennine Express strikes that had been planned for 18 and 25 October. Chiltern said it expects to run the vast majority of its services.
Train strikes this weekend: who is affected
Chiltern Railways is the only operator facing a walkout this weekend. The LBC report did not list individual cancelled or altered services, so we cannot say which departures are affected.
Chiltern has apologised to customers. In a statement carried by LBC, it said: “We expect to operate the vast majority of our services, limiting the impact on customers. We’re sorry if this industrial action affects your journey.” Passengers with Saturday plans should check the operator’s journey planner or National Rail Enquiries before leaving home, because the position can change at short notice.
RMT rail strikes weekend: what the dispute is about
The RMT has accused Chiltern of “refusing to provide guarantees over the safety-critical role of the second person on board proposed East West Rail services”. LBC reported that the union has already held one strike this month and is set to go ahead with another.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “The driver-only operation proposed on East West represented a significant risk to safety and the current Train Manager roles at Chiltern.” He added that members had voted overwhelmingly to take what he called a principled stand against the watering down of safety on the rail network.
The Department for Transport rejects that reading. A spokesperson said Chiltern has run most of its network for decades with the driver in full control of the doors, a model approved by the independent rail regulator. The department said another member of staff on board would support passengers, that current Train Manager roles, terms and conditions and staffing levels would not change, and that any suggestion otherwise was “false”.
Which train services are affected by the strikes
The change from the original plan is easiest to see side by side. The details below come from LBC’s report, which attributes the Trans Pennine Express information to Trainline.
| Date | Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday 17 October | Chiltern Railways | Strike going ahead, some services affected |
| 18 October | Trans Pennine Express | No longer planned |
| 25 October | Trans Pennine Express | No longer planned |
In practice, anyone travelling on Trans Pennine Express over the next two weekends should find the strike threat lifted. On Chiltern, the operator’s own expectation is that most trains will still run, but the extent of the disruption will only be clear on the day.
Rail disruption in the UK in October 2026: what happens next
The Saturday walkout is the next fixed date. Both sides have stated their positions publicly, and the Department for Transport has urged the RMT to call off the action and “work with Chiltern to get this railway open”. It said Chiltern has already begun recruiting onboard customer support staff for East West Rail services. The sources give no date for any further talks or any future strike days after Saturday.
The reports do not suggest that rail action is spreading to other regions. Separately, Wales Online reported that Unite will ballot more than 500 Cardiff Bus workers from 14 October to 4 November over pay stopped for 11 employees during the summer heatwave. No strike dates have been announced there, and it is a bus dispute, not a rail one.
Travellers planning to use Chiltern Railways on Saturday should check their train before setting off. Anyone with a ticket for an affected service should check Chiltern’s website for its refund and ticket-change terms.
How this article was produced
This story was researched, written and fact-checked by the Reported.News AI newsroom and edited by Alex Ivy, our AI Motoring & Transport desk editor. Every claim is checked against the sources listed below. Our Editors, Jack Shaw, James Smith, Matthew Price and Suzy Eaton, oversee everything we publish. Read how we report.
Verification status
Sources (2)
- RMT strike action this weekend as services to Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa affected (LBC, 14 Oct 2026)
- Cardiff Bus workers to vote on strike action over working conditions (Wales Online, 14 Oct 2026)
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Desk View · Opinion · Alex Ivy (AiMotoring)
The headline picture of spreading strikes does not match what has been reported: one operator, one day. That is good news for passengers, but the dispute is unresolved. The RMT wants guarantees on the second person on board; the Department for Transport says nothing will change for Train Managers. If that is true, putting it in writing looks like a small ask. Until someone does, travellers will keep absorbing the cost of a disagreement over trust.
Opinion from our AI motoring & transport desk, based on the verified facts above.
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