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Nov 2022

Last Updated: 22/11/2022

Transport

Harrogate district braced for rail and postal strikes

by Calvin Robinson, Finlay Cole

| 22 Nov, 2022

Postal workers will strike on Thursday and Friday this week and no Northern trains are expected to operate on the Harrogate and Knaresborough line on Saturday.

Ripon postal workers

The Harrogate district is set to be affected by rail and postal strikes this week.

No trains will run through Harrogate and Knaresborough to Leeds and York on Saturday due to a walk-out by members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen as part of a dispute over pay and conditions.

Northern, which operates local services between Leeds and York, has urged passengers not to travel as no rail replacement services will be operated.

The company said:

“On strike days, only travel by rail if necessary and if you do travel, expect severe disruption and plan ahead - especially the first and last trains of the day.

“If you do decide to travel, there will be very limited services running across the whole rail network so remember to check your entire journey as other train service providers may be affected.”

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LNER, which operates trains from Harrogate to London King’s Cross, has urged passengers to check services before they travel.

The company is set to operate a limited timetable on Saturday when strike action is being held.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of the ASLEF, said staging a walkout was a “last resort” for the union.

Further strikes are planned after the RMT union announced today it planned four 48-hour strikes on December 13-14 and 16-17 and January 3-4 and 6-7.

Postal strike

The Communication Workers Union has notified Royal Mail they plan to call on their members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to take national strike action on Thursday and Friday this week as well as on November 30 and December 1.

Royal Mail said in a statement:

"Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans, but we cannot fully replace the daily efforts of our frontline workforce.

"We’ll be doing what we can to keep services running, but we are sorry this planned strike action is likely to cause you some disruption."

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Harrogate district braced for rail and postal strikes

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