Strike action
Strike action travel advice
Last updated 8 December 2023
A rolling programme of strike action by the ASLEF union is taking place across multiple train operators between Saturday 2 and Friday 8 December. There were no Southeastern trains running on Wednesday 6 December.
Strike action to follow this week:
- Friday 8 December – Northern and TransPennine Express
ASLEF also has an overtime ban in place until Saturday 9 December, but we expect to run our full service during this time.
Due to engineering work that is taking place during this period there are some changes to our services, please check our planned engineering work page for more details.
Please check your entire journey before you travel and we are very sorry for any inconvenience the strike action will cause you.
If previous strike action has affected your travel plans then please visit our strike refund page for more information.
You can keep up-to-date here where we’ll post the latest information, follow us on Twitter, or you can sign up to receive service updates on the planned strike action.
Ticketing and refunds
- Customers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets for travel on the strike days can instead use their ticket on an alternative date:
- Tickets for travel between Saturday 2 December and Friday 8 December can be used at any time from Friday 1 December up until Tuesday 12 December. (This only applies to tickets purchased before the strike action was announced on 17 November.)
- If the ticket is for a journey that includes the London Underground it will not be valid on London Underground services on an alternative date.
- You can claim a full refund with no admin fee for your unused ticket (other than season ticket), if you decide 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 didn’t/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 you can either apply for a full refund with no admin fee if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled or return it to the original retailer for an eVoucher, for use purchasing a future ticket. eVouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. 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 and the train is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, 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 don’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.