Strike action | Southeastern

Strike action travel advice

Last updated 8 May

We’re sorry if the recent strike action caused you any inconvenience.

Please see ticketing and refund information below, or visit our strike refund page.

Future strike action

No further dates have been announced for the Southeastern network but there is strike action on other train operators this week.

There is also an overtime ban until Monday 11 May, but we will be running a full service.

Check your entire journey if you are travelling during this time.

Wednesday 8 May – Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway (GWR) and West Midland Trains.
Thursday 9 May – LNER, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express.

You can keep up-to-date here where we’ll post the latest information, follow us on X, or you can sign up to receive service updates on the planned strike action.

Ticketing

Customers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets for travel between Tuesday 7 and Thursday 9 May can instead use their tickets anytime between Monday 6 and Monday 13 May. This only applies to tickets purchased before the strikes were announced on 22 April. If the ticket is for a journey that includes TfL services such as the London Underground, DLR or the Elizabeth Line, it will not be valid on TfL services on an alternative date.
You can claim a full refund or change of journey with no admin fee for your unused ticket (other than season ticket), if you decided not to travel because the train you intended to use is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled after you purchased your ticket.
You can request a fee-free change of journey or cash refund for all ticket types (other than season ticket) if the train was cancelled or delayed or rescheduled from that in the published timetable of the day after you have purchased a ticket.
If you couldn't make your outward journey because of strike action, you can have a refund on your outward and return ticket (other than season ticket) even if the latter is not affected by strike action. The same applies if your return journey is affected, but your outward journey is not.
If you have an Advance ticket for a train that’s on a strike day, you can apply for a full refund with no admin fee. If you have two Advance tickets (an outbound and a return), to be used as a return journey, and either of the legs is on a strike day, you can claim a fee-free refund or change of journey for any unused legs / tickets.
If you’re a Season ticket holder (Flexi, monthly or longer) you can use Delay Repay to claim a day of travel back if you can’t travel on strike days. For a full day back, you only need to make one claim per day of strike action, making sure to select the reason for delay as 'Industrial Action – did not travel'. For Flexi ticket holders, to receive Delay Repay you must have activated a pass for the day you're claiming.
Weekly Season ticket holders cannot be compensated for strike dates announced at least two weeks beforehand, but you can claim Delay Repay if your train is delayed or cancelled on the day.
When trains are running, if you travelled and were delayed for 15 minutes or more, you are entitled to Delay Repay compensation.