London train strikes 2024: Walkout by LNER staff to hit King's Cross customers

The train drivers' union has announced a fresh strike and an overtime ban hitting travellers using King's Cross.

ASLEF (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) members at LNER will walk out on Friday March 1. An overtime ban will be enforced on Thursday February 29 and Saturday March 2.

LNER - London North Eastern Railway - operates services to destinations including Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Bradford, Leeds and York. The company said it has stopped sales of tickets for the strike day and that it is reviewing the impact on services.

The union says the strike follows "a failure by the company to adhere to existing agreements" around rostering.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said: "We are fed up to the back teeth with the bad faith shown, day after day, week after week, and month after month by these two companies.

"We always stick to agreements which we make. These companies think they can break agreements, which they freely enter into, whenever it suits them. And they're wrong. This is a shot across their bows and a sign of things to come.

"They need to stop what they are doing, start to behave properly and honourably, because their drivers, our members, are no longer prepared to be treated like this."

He added: "These disputes are entirely separate from our national pay dispute with 16 train operating companies (TOCs), although LNER and Northern are two of those TOCs, because we haven’t had a pay rise since 2019."

An LNER spokesperson said: "Our priority focus remains on minimising disruption to customers during ASLEF strikes, which sadly will continue to cause disruption and delays. We encourage ASLEF to continue to work with us to find a way to end this long running dispute which only damages the rail industry."

ASLEF members working for Northern are taking industrial action on the same days.