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The two dates when over 100 Kent stations will see no trains at all

Following a weekend of travel chaos as back to back strikes and rail works[1] brought train travel around Kent to a halt, the county is preparing for yet more strike action. Members of the ASLEF and RMT unions held separate walk outs this past weekend, having a colossal impact on the level of service that could operate around and out of Kent.

Two more planned strike dates are set to cause further disruption at the end of this month and at the start of June, as ASLEF union members will walk out once again. Industrial action will take place Wednesday, May 31 and Saturday, June 3.

ASLEF is the nation’s trade union for train drivers, so no Southeastern, Southern or Thameslink services will be able to run on these two dates. As such, the more than 100 railway stations found in Kent will once again be left with no trains at all.

Southeastern has said: “If the strike action is cancelled at short notice we may not be able to switch back to our normal timetable immediately. Rail services are built in complex, interrelated IT systems covering fleet, crew schedules and rosters, and so it takes some time to get everything back to normal.

“We are very sorry for any inconvenience the strike action will cause you.” The rail operation has confirmed that passengers will be unable to travel at all on these two dates, with no rail replacement buses to be in operation either.

A recent statement from ASLEF has explained why the union is holding strike action. It said: “We have been negotiating with employers - the train operating companies - for many months on pay. On several companies we have managed to come to an agreement, and on several others, multi-year deals have been honoured.

“Unfortunately a number of companies still have their hands tied by the Department for Transport and aren't able to negotiate a reasonable deal with ASLEF members. We are still prepared to negotiate in good faith but, unfortunately, as we have been unable to come to an agreement, we have had to consider industrial action.”

The statement went on to explain that, ‘following a rising and obviously unacceptable proposal from the Rail Delivery Group’, train drivers at 15 companies across the nation agreed to strike on three dates: May 12 and 31 and June 3. This announcement coincided with strike action from the RMT union which took place on Saturday, May 13.

Kent stations with no trains running on May 12, May 31 and June 3

Due to strike action from the ASLEF union, no services or rail replacement buses will be in operation on these dates at all. No Southeastern, Thameslink or Southern services will be operating.

Southeastern has stated that for Wednesday, May 31 and Saturday, June 3 online journey planners will be updated from Wednesday, May 24. The Kent stations that will not run any Southeastern, Southern or Thameslink should strike action go ahead are as follows:

  • Adisham

  • Appledore

  • Ashford International

  • Ashurst

  • Aylesford

  • Aylesham

  • Barming

  • Bat and Ball

  • Bearstead

  • Bekesbourne

  • Beltring

  • Birchington-on-Sea

  • Borough Green and Wrotham

  • Broadstairs

  • Canterbury East

  • Canterbury West

  • Charing

  • Chartham

  • Chatham

  • Chestfiled & Swalecliffe

  • Chilham

  • Cowden

  • Cuxton

  • Dartford

  • Deal

  • Dover Priory

  • Dumpton Park

  • Dunton Green

  • East Farleigh

  • East Malling

  • Ebbsfleet International

  • Edenbridge

  • Edenbridge Town

  • Eynsford

  • Farningham Road

  • Faversham

  • Folkestone Central

  • Folkestone West

  • Gillingham

  • Gravesend

  • Greenhithe

  • Halling

  • Ham Street

  • Harrietsham

  • Headcorn

  • Herne Bay

  • Hever

  • High Brooms

  • Higham

  • Hildenborough

  • Hollingbourne

  • Kearsney

  • Kemsing

  • Kemsley

  • Leigh

  • Lenham

  • Longfield

  • Maidstone Barracks

  • Maidstone East

  • Maidstone West

  • Marden

  • Margate

  • Martin Mill

  • Meopham

  • Minster

  • New Hythe

  • Newington

  • Northfleet

  • Otford

  • Paddock Wood

  • Penshurst

  • Pluckley

  • Queenborough

  • Rainham

  • Ramsgate

  • Rochester

  • Sandling

  • Sandwich

  • Selling

  • Sevenoaks

  • Sheerness-on-Sea

  • Shepherds Well

  • Shoreham

  • Sittingbourne

  • Snodland

  • Snowdown

  • Sole Street

  • Staplehurst

  • Strood

  • Stone Crossing

  • Sturry

  • Swale

  • Swanley

  • Swanscombe

  • Teynham

  • Tonbridge

  • Tunbridge Wells

  • Walmer

  • Wateringbury

  • West Malling

  • Westenhanger

  • Westgate-on-Sea

  • Whitstable

  • Wye

  • Yalding

What to do if you have tickets for a strike day

Online journey planners[3] for the coming two strike dates will be updated on Wednesday, May 24. Those with advance, anytime or off-peak tickets for travel on a strike day can use instead use their ticket on an alternate date:

  • Tickets for Wednesday, May 31 can be used on the day before the date on the ticket or up to and including Friday, June 2.

  • Tickets for Saturday, June 3 can be used on the day before the date on the ticket or up to and including Tuesday, June 6.

Passengers who have been impacted by strike action may be entitled to a refund on their ticket fare. Full refund details can be found here.[4]

Never get stuck in a crash again with our FREE traffic and travel email for KentLive readers. Find out more here.[5]

References

  1. ^ back to back strikes and rail works (www.kentlive.news)
  2. ^ Four weeks of overnight M2 closures as diversion route confirmed (www.kentlive.news)
  3. ^ Online journey planners (ticket.southeasternrailway.co.uk)
  4. ^ here. (www.southeasternrailway.co.uk)
  5. ^ Find out more here. (data.reachplc.com)

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