Passengers on Great Britain's west coast mainline are warned of potential disruptions to Avanti services every Sunday from this weekend until the end of May. Train managers, represented by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), plan to strike each Sunday from January 12 to May 25, 2025, due to a dispute over rest day pay.

Negotiations between the union and the company are ongoing, but the strikes are still set to proceed. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch announced on Thursday that he will retire in early May.

Avanti, which operates routes between London, Birmingham, and Glasgow, advises passengers to travel before or after Sunday to avoid disruptions from a significantly reduced timetable and engineering work. Tickets will be valid on other days, and refunds will be available.

According to the train operating company, there will be four trains each hour to and from London Euston, one to each of Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, and Birmingham. Due to planned engineering maintenance, there will also be a very restricted service between Glasgow and Carlisle, with substitute buses operating between Carlisle and Preston. At 5 p.m., the final flight from London will depart.

On January 12 and 19, there won't be any Avanti West Coast trains to North Wales, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Stoke-on-Trent, or Macclesfield.

Despite complaints for its track record of delayed and cancelled trains, the government in 2023 gave the business, a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia, a new long-term contract to operate Britain's principal intercity service.

Avanti West Coast cancelled 7.8% of its trains in the year to 9 November. This was second only to Northern, which with 8%, had the worst cancellation rate among the privatised train operating companies in Great Britain.

Kathryn O’Brien, the executive director of customer experience at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re disappointed by the RMT calling strike action for an extended period when our customers may be working, visiting family and friends, or enjoying days out. As a result, they will face significantly disrupted journeys during this time. I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.

“On the strike days we’ll have a reduced service, so customers with tickets for those days are strongly advised to travel on alternative dates or claim a full fee-free refund. We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

The RMT said the company had ignored workers’ concerns.

“Our members have resoundingly rejected Avanti’s latest offers in two referendums, and sustained strike action is now the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement with the union,” an RMT spokesperson told Sky News.