Moment commuters jump barriers to try and catch a train as rail strikes spark chaos across Britain: Fresh walkouts grind country to a halt with pubs and restaurants empty and stations deserted

• People clambered over the turnstiles at Chelmsford station, in Essex
• ** Are you impacted by the rail strikes? Please email: [email protected] ** 

This is the moment commuters jumped barriers in Essex today to try and catch a train as the rail strikes sparked chaos across Britain. 

People can be seen clambering over the turnstiles at Chelmsford station and sprinting up the stairs to platform one as a train arrives. 

An onlooker can be heard wailing ‘oh no’ as others hold up their mobile phones to film the incident. A member of staff can be heard telling them as they rush away: ‘The platform is full.’ 

One person said there was confusion over whether commuters would be allowed to board an arriving train as it was already full. One man then jumped the barrier, they said which sparked others to follow.

The chaotic scenes were caused after members of the drivers’ union Aslef at 16 train operators in England walked out today, as pictures emerged of empty pubs and restaurants as the country was brought to a sudden halt. 

The witness said the ‘madness’ unfolded as the 8.43am train to London Liverpool Street pulled in.

ARE YOU IMPACTED BY THE RAIL STRIKES? Please email: [email protected]

People jump the barriers at Chelmsford station in Essex today as they desperately try and catch a train as it arrives 

They said: ‘We could all hear the train stopping at the station, and then one guy jumped the barrier.

‘Suddenly everyone started hurling themselves over the gates and running to the train.

‘We were angry and confused – we didn’t know if [the trains] were cancelled all day or if it was just this one morning train.

READ MORE: Rail strikes leave London’s cafes and restaurants empty – as it’s revealed walkouts delivered £571m hammer blow to capital’s economy this year… amid fears of £360m hit to UK’s hospitality sector this week alone

‘It all happened so fast – I started recording it for my boss. I was in no rush as it couldn’t be helped, but it was madness.

‘People were shouting. They were getting their bags and selves caught in the gates while jumping too.

‘I am guessing the people who jumped the barriers managed to board the train, because none of us who waited saw them come back down.

‘And when I headed up to the platform, they were gone.’

The commuters who waited for the barriers to open for the next train were able to scan through the gates as normal, the onlooker added.

Greater Anglia, which manages Chelmsford station, has been approached for comment.    

It comes as new photos reveal how the latest wave of rail strikes has emptied cafes and restaurants across London. 

Members of the drivers’ union Aslef at 16 train operators in England walked out today, coinciding with the final day of the annual conference of the Conservative Party in Manchester.

A woman hurls herself over the gates as a train approaches the station in scenes described as ‘madness’ by one onlooker 

Another two people jump the gates while others stand and watch. The commuters who waited for the barriers to open for the next train were able to scan through the gates as normal

A member of staff can be heard people as they rush up the stairs that the platform is full

It was the 14th strike since the pay and conditions dispute with Rishi Sunak’s Government flared more than a year ago, leading to picket lines being mounted outside railway stations across the country.

Other photos also showed streets in the City of London looking empty during today’s morning rush hour as staff worked from home. 

MailOnline can also exclusively lay bare the staggering cost of the walkouts. New data crunched by the Centre for Economics and Business Research has revealed that the strikes in the past 12 months have inflicted a £571million hammer blow to London’s economy. 

This week alone, it is feared that Britain’s hospitality sector will take a £360million hit, according to UKHospitality. 

And strikes have cost the rail industry £716million since the feud began in June last year – with taxpayers paying £175million a month to keep it going, reported City AM. 

Pictured: Sticky Mango restaurant at Tower Bridge today

Pictured: The Horseman at Hay’s pub at lunchtime

Pictured: Café Piazza in Hays Galleria near Southbank today

Pictured: Butlers Wharf Chop House in London Bridge today

Rail passengers arrive at a deserted London Victoria station as the Aslef strike begins today

Trains at a very quiet London King’s Cross station this morning as the Aslef rail strike begins

A passengers walks through the empty concourse at London Euston station this morning

Rail passengers wait on seating at London Victoria this morning as the Aslef strike begins

Mick Whelan (second right), Aslef’s general secretary, joined striking workers who had brought a life-sized cut-out of the Where’s Wally? cartoon character with Transport Secretary Mark Harper’s face imposed on it to a picket line outside London Euston station this morning

Traffic on the A102(M) Blackwall Tunnel approach at Greenwich in South East London today 

Operators warning of no services today included Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express. Drivers from Aslef are also banning overtime throughout this week, which has caused disruption on some operators since Monday and will do so until Friday.

Which train operators are affected by the Aslef rail strike today? 

Members of the drivers’ union Aslef at 16 train operators in England are on strike today, affecting these networks:

• Avanti West Coast
• c2c
• Chiltern Railways
• CrossCountry
• East Midlands Railway
• Gatwick Express
• Great Northern
• Great Western Railway
• Greater Anglia
• Heathrow Express
• Island Line
• LNER
• London Northwestern Railway
• Northern
• South Western Railway
• Southeastern
• Southern
• Stansted Express
• Thameslink
• TransPennine Express
• West Midlands Railway

Data from TomTom today showed it took drivers up to 25 per cent longer to make their way through London during the morning rush hour amid increased congestion. The road travel time per six miles in the capital at about 9am was 23 minutes and 46 seconds, which was four minutes and 44 seconds above the normal level for the time of day. There was a total of 2,147 traffic jams covering 898 miles. Journey times in Birmingham and Manchester were both up 22 per cent at the same time this morning. 

Meanwhile separate planned strikes on the London Underground today and on Friday were called off at the last minute by the the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) yesterday.

Some Britons celebrated not having to go into the office, with one referring to Aslef chief Mick Whelan as they posted on X: ‘Love a train strike – get to work from home again. Keep up the good work, Mick.’

Another said: ‘Oh no, I have to work from home today due to train strikes. It’s so awful not having to socialise in person, saving travel and lunch money and having almost two more hours to game.’

A third added: ‘WFH day for me – I’m usually always in the office – due to the train strike. The good part is that I really need to sleep in. The bad part is I’m still trying to figure out how people who consistently WFH deal with neighbours doing DIY, works in the building, etc.’

Today, Aslef said train companies have always failed to employ enough drivers to provide a proper service.

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said today that the rail strike was ‘solid, nothing is running’.

He joined striking workers who had brought a life-sized cut-out of the Where’s Wally? cartoon character with Transport Secretary Mark Harper’s face imposed on it to a picket line outside London Euston station.

Mr Whelan said: ‘What we are seeing from the Tory conference is the managed decline of our railways.

‘We are striking today because we still haven’t seen the transport minister or the companies for the best part of six months.

‘The mood of the train drivers in the UK is that we will keep striking until we get a resolution that suits them.’

He also said the Government is to blame for the strikes, adding: ‘We don’t have a problem in Scotland. We don’t have a problem in Wales.

Empty roads at the Bank of England in the City of London during today’s morning rush hour

Empty roads in the City of London this morning which looks empty at rush hour today

Lime Street in the City of London is empty this morning during the Aslef rail strike

Empty roads in the City of London today as people work from home due to the Aslef strike

Cornhill in the City of London looks empty during rush hour this morning

Empty roads in the City of London this morning which looks empty at rush hour today

London Bridge in the capital is deserted around 9am this morning amid the Aslef train strike 

‘We don’t have a problem in freight or Eurostar or with all the other companies. It is a Westminster political problem caused by Westminster.’

The usually busy concourse at Euston was practically empty during this morning rush hour.

How road journey times are up 25% today

TomTom data on the time taken to travel six miles (10km) at about 9am today in England’s biggest five cities shows that journey times have risen significantly by as much as a quarter.

London – up 25%

• 23 minutes 46 seconds (up 4 minutes 44 seconds on average)
• 2,147 traffic jams covering total of 898 miles (1444km)

Birmingham – up 22%

• 18 minutes 34 seconds (up 3 minutes 21 seconds on average)
• 720 traffic jams covering total of 296 miles (475.8km)

Manchester – up 22%

• 21 minutes 38 seconds (up 3 minutes 58 seconds on average)
• 357 traffic james covering total of 176 miles (283.3km)

Liverpool – up 18%

• 19 minutes 30 seconds (up 2 minutes 58 seconds on average)
• 150 traffic james covering total of 54 miles (87km)

Leeds – up 15%

• 18 minutes 20 seconds (up 2 minutes 25 seconds on average)
• 224 traffic james covering total of 95 miles (152.6km)

Staff could be seen at three information points but there were just a few passengers there to ask questions.

The shutters were down at the ticket office which had a poster pinned to it notifying people of the travel disruption.

It read: ‘We’re sorry. Due to industrial action there will be no Avanti West Coast services operating today.’

A similar message was played over the loudspeakers.

Plasterer Luke Askew, 47, was trying to figure out how to get back to his home in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, after being caught out by today’s rail strike.

Mr Askew, who had just enjoyed a holiday in Turkey, thinks his journey from Euston will take at least another three hours and involve paying out for a taxi and coach trips.

He said: ‘It is all pretty annoying and has spoiled the end of my holiday. It is pretty frustrating. I have not been to London for about 20 years and I will not be coming back for a while after this.

‘I am not really familiar with the area and I do not think there has been much information about what you should do.’

Bakshish Kaur, 29, found herself having to rearrange her travel plans to get to Glasgow after finding that her train from London Euston was cancelled.

She said: ‘It has all been a major hassle, especially for someone who is travelling solo. I am travelling from London to Glasgow. The train has got cancelled and I got no information from the railways.

‘Now it is costing me a bomb to book a flight to Glasgow but that is precisely what I have done.

‘Fortunately I found myself one of the last four or five seats that were left in the flight, so now I am rushing to the airport. I will have to re-pack my suitcase for the flight.

‘I am going for a leisure trip and this spoils my day today. I was supposed to be there by 3pm but that will not happen and it is impacting my entire schedule.’

Financial data consultant Rowenna Fielding, 42, said she will now be working from her parents’ home in South East London today because she can not make it back to her base in Folkestone, Kent, due to the rail strike.

Standing at Euston station, she said: ‘I am lucky because I have friends and family and I can use their sofa.

‘If I did not have the family nearby option, the strike would be super annoying for me. It would be a disaster because I would then have to spend money for a hotel, find somewhere to work and pay the additional travel fees to get there.

READ MORE Train strikes grind UK to a halt: Maps show where Aslef action will cripple commuters from today

‘It was an important thing I had to come into London for so I needed to be here, but I am lucky that I have found a way to work around the strike. I am lucky that the Tube strike that was supposed to be in London was called off as that means I can get around, otherwise it would mean getting buses to get to my family.’

Ms Field said she ‘definitely supports’ the strike despite the disruption caused. She added: ‘I think strikes could be avoided if employees felt they were being treated fairly – that’s what strikes are for.

‘It seems to me that the people who are making the decisions which causes the backlash of strikes are not the people who are affected by them and they are the ones who can be driven around everywhere or work from home.’

In an earlier statement, Mr Whelan said the Government was preventing a settlement to the year-long dispute.

He said: ‘Our members have not had a pay rise for four years – since 2019 – and that’s not right when prices have soared in that time.

‘Train drivers, perfectly reasonably, want to be able to buy now what they could buy four years ago.’

Mr Whelan accused Transport Secretary Mark Harper of ‘hiding’, saying the two had not met since last December despite a series of strikes this year which have caused huge disruption.

Passengers look at the departure board at London King’s Cross station this morning 

Passengers look at the departure board at London King’s Cross station this morning

An almost empty London Paddington station this morning as the Aslef rail strike begins

A member of staff works at London King’s Cross this morning as the Aslef strike begins 

Trains at a very quiet London King’s Cross station this morning as the Aslef rail strike begins

Staff at a very quiet London King’s Cross station this morning as the Aslef rail strike begins

He said: ‘He holds the purse strings. The train operating companies have told us they cannot act without his say so. He’s the puppet master, but he’s in hiding.’

The Rail Delivery Group said: ‘There is a deal on the table for Aslef that would take average driver salaries to £65,000 for a four-day week – that’s more than double the average UK salary and many drivers top up their income further by working overtime.

‘We are ready and willing to talk to Aslef’s leaders so we can end this damaging dispute – but any talks about pay also need to address working practices that date back decades.

‘The industry depends on a monthly injection of up to £175 million from the taxpayer because revenues are still 30% below pre-pandemic levels – while simultaneously facing unprecedented changes in customer travel patterns.

‘This isn’t just costing taxpayers, it’s costing businesses eye-watering sums, and all because Aslef’s leadership refuse to discuss much-needed changes to ways of working.

‘It is obvious that the sector can only fund a pay rise by changing how it delivers services so it can respond to that transformation in how the public use the railway.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan (second right) on a picket line at London Euston today 

Passengers at a very quiet London King’s Cross station today as the Aslef rail strike begins

A passenger walks through a very quiet London King’s Cross station today amid the rail strike

Trains at a very quiet London King’s Cross station this morning as the Aslef rail strike begins

A passengers walks through the empty concourse at London Euston station this morning

‘That means putting managers – rather than unions – in charge of planning shifts. It means allowing managers to respond to unexpected staff absences so they can reduce the last-minute cancellations that so frustrate our customers.

READ MORE Proof that rail strikes ARE working! Strike-loving Brits complain they’ll have to go to the office this week after union calls off Tube walkouts

‘It means giving our customers more reliable train services when they actually want to use them – particularly on Sundays. That is how any industry survives and thrives.’

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: ‘The Government spent £31 billion of taxpayers’ money – £1,000 per household – to protect rail workers’ jobs during the pandemic.

‘There is a fair and reasonable offer on the table that would take train drivers’ salaries from £60,000 to £65,000 for a 35-hour, four-day week.

‘Aslef’s leaders won’t put this offer to their members and instead continue to strike, damaging their own industry in the process.’

It comes after separate planned strikes on the London Underground have been called off by the RMT following ‘significant progress’ in talks over jobs and conditions.

Around 3,000 members of RMT were due to walk out today and on Friday.

An almost empty London Paddington station this morning as the Aslef rail strike begins

Rail passengers wait at London Euston station this morning as the Aslef strike begins

Traffic on the A102(M) Blackwall Tunnel approach in Greenwich, South East London, today

Train drivers from the Aslef union on the picket line at London Euston station this morning

A passengers walks through the empty concourse at London Euston station this morning

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan on a picket line at London Euston station this morning

An information sign detailing strike action at Manchester Piccadilly train station today

Queuing today on the A102(M) Blackwall Tunnel approach in Greenwich, South East London

The RMT said that following talks at the conciliation service Acas it has managed to save jobs, prevent detrimental changes to rosters and secure protection of earnings around grading changes.

READ MORE Militant BMA blames HOSPITALS for ‘unsafe’ staffing levels during strikes as NHS bosses warn ‘Christmas Day’ cover is harming patients

The union said: ‘The significant progress means that key elements have been settled although there remains wider negotiations to be had in the job, pensions and working agreements dispute.’

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘I congratulate all our members who were prepared to take strike action and our negotiations team for securing this victory in our Tube dispute.

‘Without the unity and industrial power of our members, there is no way we would have been able to make the progress we have.

‘We still remain in dispute over outstanding issues around pensions and working agreements and will continue to pursue a negotiated settlement.’

Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of customer operations, said: ‘We are pleased that the RMT has withdrawn its planned industrial action this week and that the dispute on our change proposals in stations is now resolved.

‘This is good news for London and we will continue to work closely with our trade unions as we evolve London Underground to ensure we can continue to support the capital in the most effective way.’

Acas chief conciliator Marina Glasgow said: ‘After four days of Acas talks, we are pleased that significant progress has been made through Acas to help resolve this area of dispute.’

ARE YOU IMPACTED BY THE RAIL STRIKES? Please email: [email protected]

Source: Read Full Article