Dear Graham
 
We were in touch earlier this week about the rail strikes taking place next week, on Thursday (15 September) and Saturday (17 September).  There will also be a strike by TSSA (office staff and managers) for 24 hours from midday on Monday 26th September to midday on Tuesday 27th September.
 
The strike on Thursday 15th September involves ASLEF (train drivers), RMT (on board and station staff, and Network Rail signallers) and Unite (depot teams) and on Saturday 17th September, RMT, Unite, & some TSSA members of Network Rail will be on strike. On both days, there will be no service on the majority of our network. We will run a very limited service on the routes listed on our dedicated strike webpage here: https://www.gwr.com/strike .
 
Our advice to customers is to check before travel and only travel if absolutely necessary. Disruption is also expected on Friday 16th September, and there will also be some changes to services on Sunday 18th September, including potentially some short-notice cancellations. Trains that do travel across the strike period will be very busy. To help with this tickets for travel from 15th-18th September will also be valid on 19th and 20th September.
 
Journey planners are being updated as soon as possible and where we can we are contacting customers directly to make them aware of the changes. Any help you can give to share this message amongst your networks will be gratefully received, we want to ensure that anyone who is thinking of travelling by train next week is aware of the severe disruption.
 
As ever, if there is anything we can do to help, please just get in touch.
 
Best wishes
 
Jane Jones
Head of Public Affairs, GWR
 
Toby Elliott
Head of Communications, Network Rail Western

between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway, Cardiff Central and Plymouth via Bristol Temple Meads

Hmmm - Saturday 17. from that GWR strike link -


Ambiguous? Does this mean those services ALL go via BRI? With the Cardiff's going via BRI (reverse) & BPW (reverse again)

Or does that mean these services are actually PAD - Cardiff Central via BPW and other services PAD - Plymouth via BRI?

Strikes have been postponed due to today's events.

I have seen RMT announcements - is that confirmed for ASLEF, Unite and the TSSA too?  Does the suspension include the TSSA action on 26th/27th, or does that remain in place?

TSSA General Grades (Bands 5-8) and Controllers will take strike action in Network Rail as well as Avanti West Coast, c2c, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, LNER, Southeastern, TransPennine Express and WMT from midday on Monday 26 until midday Tuesday 27 September.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) also called off planned strikes. A statement said: “Upon the news that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has died, TSSA union expresses deepest condolences to her family, friends, the country and those affected by her passing.

“TSSA is cancelling planned industrial action for September and will be respecting the period of public mourning. The union pays respect to Britain’s longest-serving monarch.”