UK Faces Transport Troubles as Thousands of Train Drivers Strike on Wednesday

The strike is timed to coincide with the closing day of the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

The UK is bracing for yet another wave of transport disruption on Wednesday: the drivers' union Aslef and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) have announced a major walkout amid an unresolved trade dispute. Around 9,000 train drivers are participating in the strike over pay and working conditions, meaning that no trains will operate on lines run by 13 firms, including such companies as Northern, Avanti West Coast and Southeastern.

Multiple stations around the country will remain closed.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan has called for government involvement, saying that transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan should "lift the shackles" from train companies so they could make a pay offer to the staff.

"The message I am receiving from my members is that they are in this for the long haul and, if anything, they want industrial action to be increased," he said.

Several smaller strikes are also expected to be held later this week, according to the TSSA, while the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) is also planning to re-ballot members for further strikes, planning a walkout on Saturday.

Britain has witnessed a series of major strikes this year, with a big chunk of them in the transportation industry. The workers demand a pay raise and an end to job cuts amid record-high inflation and soaring fuel prices, since the UK is facing a cost of living crisis.

Despite many attempts by the authorities to reach a settlement, the unions have refused to settle for a partial payment rise.