Rail services in Harrogate and Knaresborough will be severely affected by a second day of strike action today.
Only about 10% of services are expected to operate on the line between York and Leeds.
Rail operator Northern is expected to be among the worst affected by today’s industrial action by the RMT union.
A third strike is expected on Saturday.
People hoping to travel by train to the first day of the England vs New Zealand Test match at Headingley will be among those affected.
Harrogate station has been largely deserted for the last two days.
Many services ran yesterday but passengers had heeded warnings not to travel.
Rail campaigner Brian Dunsby, of the Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said:
“We are very concerned that this unnecessary national rail strike will risk driving people away from rail and thereby undermine and set back rail’s steady recovery from the pandemic.
“We express deep regret and concern given the uncertainty the industry and its consumers face following the effects of covid on passenger numbers.
“We ask management and government to get talking to the unions resolve things and for everyone to avoid further aggravating tensions by making hostile or critical comments. We urge the union to be more considerate of the impact on passengers of all categories.”
Read more:
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- No trains in Harrogate and Knaresborough as strike begins
A statement by Northern said:
“Customer safety is our priority, we advise you not to travel between Tuesday 21 and Sunday 26 June and make alternative plans.
“There will be no replacement buses or alternative travel provided.”
Harrogate buses enjoy strike boom but taxis suffer
The Harrogate Bus Company has reported a 25% increase in customers on the first day of the rail strike.
However, Harrogate taxi drivers have said today “feels like a Sunday” with little trade.
Today’s rail strike left many commuters having to make alternative arrangements.
A spokesman for Harrogate Bus Company said it had anticipated a surge in demand. He added:
“So far, we have carried 25% more customers on the 36 compared to a normal Tuesday.
“All of our buses have ran, including a number of extra 36 buses around rush hour from Harrogate and Leeds to ensure our customers can travel comfortably and rely on us during this time.”
The 36 bus to Leeds.
By contrast, business has been slow at the taxi rank opposite Harrogate train station.
Paul McMahon, who runs PM Taxis, said:
“It’s been exceptionally quiet. Whether people have made alternative plans or booked the day off, i don’t know.”
Mr McMahon said he had been on the rank opposite the station since 6am in case people whose trains weren’t running needed a ride. But little trade had transpired, he added.
“Today feels like a Sunday. I expected to be busier.”
Richard Fieldman, who owns A1 Cars, said he too had been quiet.
But he added he had two jobs booked tomorrow at Thirsk station, which he suspected were for commuters who were affected by the strike.
Read more:
- No trains in Harrogate and Knaresborough as strike begins
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The Harrogate and Knaresborough line is due to operate a limited service tomorrow before the strike resumes on Thursday.
But with six days of disruption expected, rail operator Northern is advising customers to seek alternative travel arrangements.
Harrogate train station this morning.
Harrogate commuters braced for ‘inconvenient’ train strikes
As train services prepare to wind down today ahead of the looming rail strike, the Stray Ferret went to Harrogate station this morning to speak to commuters.
No trains will run between York and Leeds on Tuesday and Thursday this week, which will affect rail passengers in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Further strike action is planned on Saturday and rail operator Northern is urging people not to travel on trains between tomorrow and Sunday.
No replacement buses are being put on.
The RMT union has called the strike over pay and conditions. It will see thousands of drivers, signal operators and guards walk out.
Commuters in Harrogate said they had been forced to change their working days this week or work from home. Some have had to rearrange or cancel meetings.
Kevin Dalton told us:
“I’m not a regular train user as I work from home most of the time.
“But I had a meeting this week and I’ve had to rearrange to today just so I can make it. The idea of driving into Leeds or York for 9am just isn’t worth thinking about.”
For others still having to travel into the office, the additional petrol and taxi fees were a concern.
Read more:
- No trains for two days in Harrogate this week as strike action hits
- Council shelves Knaresborough and Ripon travel plans
Kayleigh, who works at Hornbeam Park and asked not to publish her surname, said:
“I’ve had to arrange for someone to come and pick me up and bring me home each day.
“It is an inconvenience, I work with people from York and Leeds so they’ve either got to work from home or spend two and a half hours on the bus.”
Another commuter, Diane Hitchen, sympathised with the strikers and said the difficulties it is causing highlighted how much rail workers do. She added:
“I have a lot of teacher friends who have taken strike action before so I understand why.
“Clearly rail workers feel they have to make an impact for their requests to be met.”
Northern has said it will publish its Sunday timetable shortly.
Further details on how the strike will affects services are available here.
No replacement buses for Harrogate district commuters during strikeRail operator Northern has urged people to make alternative travel plans next week during planned strike action.
The RMT union has called a nationwide rail strike for three days on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday next week.
Northern, which operates services running through Harrogate and Knaresborough, said in a statement today :
“There will be no replacement buses or alternative travel provided.
“On strike days there will be extremely limited availability of both train crew and signalling staff and as such we will not be able to operate services on most routes.
“Unfortunately, as we will not be able to position our fleet how we normally would, the significant impact of the strike will also be felt on non-strike days.
“Therefore, we regrettably advise customers not to travel on any day from Tuesday 21st through to Sunday 26th June.
“Where we are able to operate trains, services will be very limited, and trains will not start as early as normal and will finish much earlier than normal.”
The statement added that customers would be entitled to a refund for dates affected by strike action if not travelling.
Read more:
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Harrogate council staff could strike over ‘derisory’ pay offer in New Year
Strike action over a “derisory” pay offer for council staff could take place in Harrogate in the New Year.
Unison at Harrogate Borough Council is set to ballot members over whether or not to take industrial action after its members rejected a 1.75% pay increase last month.
Of a turnout of 62% of its members, 74% voted to refuse the pay offer.
The offer followed a national consultation from the Local Government Association over a pay increase.
A draft timetable will see members receive ballot papers from December 1 and close on January 14.
Read more:
- Unison Harrogate rejects ‘derisory’ council staff pay offer
- Union concerns over staffing shortages at Harrogate district leisure centres
- Government rejects £6m levelling up bid for Ripon and Masham
It means strike action could take place as early as February, if members vote for this option.
David Houlgate, secretary of the Harrogate branch of Unison, has described the pay offer as “inadequate” and “derisory”.
He said:
British Gas engineers in Harrogate strike over pay and conditions“This overwhelming majority makes clear the strength of feeling among local government workers about their pay, here in Harrogate but nationwide too.
“Council and school workers have been the unsung heroes of the covid pandemic, working tirelessly and often at risk to their own safety to serve their communities.
“Meanwhile, since 2010 the value of their pay has fallen by 25%. The 1.75% pay offer is completely inadequate and Unison members have made their feelings about it clear.”
Six British Gas engineers from Harrogate have been on strike today over pay and working conditions.
The members of the GMB union held flags and banners by the Prince of Wales roundabout.
It was their eighth day of industrial action this winter. Further strikes are planned this month and February.
They claim the Centrica-owned company is asking employees to sign new contracts before March 31 on unfavourable terms.
About 20 local engineers employed in gas service and repair, smart metering, installations, electrical and white goods are affected.
One of the strikers, Jonathan Barker, told the Stray Ferret that thousands of British Gas employees across the country were taking similar action today.
He said:
“We’re just normal blokes who want to earn a bit of money and have a normal life.
“We don’t want to be on strike in winter, it’s our busiest time but we’ve been forced into it.”
Read more
A British Gas spokesperson said:
“We’re operating in an incredibly competitive market and British Gas has lost too many jobs and too many customers over recent years. Our business needs to change to survive and protect 20,000 jobs.
“We know change is difficult but we have offered a fair deal that has been negotiated over 300 hours with unions – we’re not cutting base pay and pensions are protected.
“Eighty-three percent of our employees have already agreed to the new terms and we believe the vast majority of our workforce understand that the company needs to change.”