Has today's Train Strike affected you?

Alex_Alumni

This poll refers to the strike of more than 40,000 members of the RMT union working at Network Rail and 14 train operators on Tuesday 27th July 2022.

SueHeath

No- I didn't need to take a train journey today

I only use the train approx once a year if that.

Grinchy

No- I didn't need to take a train journey today

i don't use the trains, i hope they get a payrise, i hope lots of people who are striking from different jobs get a proper pay rise

Tori_Scope

No- I didn't need to take a train journey today

I use trains relatively frequently, but less often now than I did. I have a couple of plans coming up in August for which I'll need to use the trains, so I'm (somewhat selfishly) hoping my plans won't be affected. 

Is there any particular reason you avoid using trains, out of interest @Grinchy @SueHeath @Teddybear12?  

Grinchy

No- I didn't need to take a train journey today

Hey @Tori_Scope, no reason, we have the car, and use that a lot, i used the train a lot when i was younger, but now i don't go out alone and  i don't drive my wife does the driving, 

Tori_Scope

No- I didn't need to take a train journey today

That all makes sense @Grinchy @Teddybear12. Trains aren't always the most accessible, either!

Tori_Scope

No- I didn't need to take a train journey today

I'm sorry to hear that your plans have been affected @ExpertByExperience. Fingers crossed you'll be able to go to your group on the 14th, and Comic Con on the 28th. 

Would getting a bus or coach instead be a possibility?

I've never been to a Comic Con, but they look fun. What are you most looking forward to? 

Tori_Scope

No- I didn't need to take a train journey today

Yes, that's often the case @expertbyexperience Do you know anyone else who's going who'd be able to give you a lift? 

IrishManc

Yes- my plans for the day have changed completely

Alex_Scope said:

This poll refers to the strike of more than 40,000 members of the RMT union working at Network Rail and 14 train operators on Tuesday 27th July 2022.

Just like in August 2022 when I was last travelling home to Ireland for my 52nd birthday on 2nd Oct on SailRail from Manchester where I’ve lived for 20 years (17 years in supermarket retailing, 3 years unemployed due to redundancy after 17 years before Covid hit), the return journey to the U.K. was horrendous on the 7th, even more so than when I had to move my travel plans forward, contacting Transport for Wales in advance to travel outbound earlier than printed on my tickets, because leaving Dublin on the morning of the 7th, Nolans Coaches had changed the location of the bus stops from Dublin Connolly to near Tara St DART station since the 1st Oct without making any announcements online, very poor signage and no reps at either Connolly or the new stops, causing me to miss the Irish Ferries 08.05 sailing to Holyhead from Dublin Port (North Wall) and where the Stena Adventurer would not take us as they normally do - two further Irish Ferries Dublin Swift sailings were cancelled due to rough weather on the Irish Sea, resulting in my waiting in Dublin Port with no restaurant facilities until the Irish Ferries Ulysses 20.55 sailing - arriving at Holyhead at 00.20 on the 8th (normally the first train from Holyhead to Chester for the connecting train to Manchester Piccadilly is at 04.25) but all the guesthouses in Holyhead were all booked up until 3pm on the 8th, there was no coaches and even before my outbound, beyond a certain point, it was too late to book flights to Dublin even with Ryanair. On the 9th at 07.50, there was a train, but the return portion of my SailRail was invalid so I had to buy a single from Holyhead to Manchester involving a bus transfer in Wales, serving all Welsh stations to Chester, finally arriving in Manchester at 12.45 on Sunday the 9th - I was not even sure if I was back in work on the Sunday and I’d been trying to find updates all that week before I left and during my week in Ireland - I work for an Irish owned hotel group in Manchester since Jan 2022 and was only able to stay at thier partner hotel in Dublin because of the staff discount where all of my family came up to Dublin from Rural Ireland for the day to celebrate my birthday, as I’d missed my 50th in U.K. /Irish Covid lockdowns - it turned out the U.K. rail unions were trying to score political points without really caring about the rail workers, where most of the U.K. train operating companies and thier unions were not taking part in the strike, just like in August - because of my Aspergers, this has made me very wary of travelling alone (unchaperoned) and certainly not by SailRail nor coach and sail (air travel only) as in recent years, SailRail in particular has become very unreliable and many coach operators have stopped doing the overnight London/Leeds/Birmingham/Manchester/Liverpool - Dublin Route via Holyhead - a high speed rail link between Holyhead to Dublin was shelved a few years ago despite Dublin Port’s expansion to take cruise ships and the Port Tunnel M50 link (freight) but with no LUAS Trams out to the Irish Ferries/Stena terminals - they also stopped U.K. ferries into Dun Laoire despite its proximity to the DART line into Dublin - P&O ferries operate from Liverpool into Dublin but they don’t accept foot passengers without a vehicle which despite the 8 hour crossing (3 hours from Holyhead) would be far better, as the journey from Manchester to Holyhead is very tiring, especially by coach and most coaches now including National Express Eurolines only operate to airports, the same being true in Dublin with Bus Éireann