Industrial action and HS2 works disrupts train services in Aylesbury

Chiltern Railways has confirmed services to and from Aylesbury will be severely disrupted over the next week.

The company has announced that none of its trains will be running on Saturday (6 April) due to planned industrial action. Services between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough have also been cancelled due to HS2 works with replacement buses transporting customers instead.

Customers are advised to check train times before they travel as members of ASLEF, the union which represents drivers, have voted to strike.

ASLEF has confirmed none of its members will be working overtime and one full day of strike action has been planned over the first week of April.

Chiltern Railways has confirmed it will run a reduced service on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 April, whilst the overtime ban is in place. There will be no service north of Birmingham Moor Street, or at some stations in Greater London. It is during this time period that the rail line between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury will be shut as HS2 engineering works is scheduled to take place.

On Friday 5 April, in addition to these service reductions, strike action at other operators means that there will be no services between London Euston and Birmingham New Street, Chiltern Railways has confirmed.

This means that Chiltern’s reduced service between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street will be exceptionally busy. The rail provider is advising customers to only travel if absolutely essential on this day.

Also, Chiltern Railways has confirmed it will not be sending trains to Wembley Stadium for the England Lionesses game against Sweden.

On Saturday no Chiltern Railways trains are running on any route. On Sunday 7 April, no industrial action is scheduled. A special timetable will be in operation accounting for the Bristol Street Motors Trophy Final between Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough United.

In attempts to ease congestion the rail company is not running trains between Aylesbury Vale Parkway and London Marylebone (via Amersham) all day, or between Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa after 13.00.

On Monday 8 April and Tuesday 9 April, a reduced service will be in place due to further ASLEF industrial action. With RMT union members who work on the London Underground also planning to strike on Monday no Chiltern trains will stop at Amersham, Chalfont & Latimer, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, or Harrow on the Hill on 8 April.

Chiltern Railways adds that on all days affected, trains will finish much earlier than usual. Customers have been advised to check online and the company’s app for further details.

ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said members voted to strike as train drivers had not received an increase in pay since 2019. He said: “Our members voted overwhelmingly – yet again – for strike action. Those votes show a clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by the Rail Delivery Group which knew that offer would be rejected because a land grab for all the terms and conditions we have negotiated over the years would never be accepted by our members.

“Since then train drivers have voted, time and again, to take action in pursuit of a pay rise.”