Are the trains running around Dover and London?

[Eli_6]

Before we get on our cruise in July, we are going to The Open. We got our tickets and received a warning about we couldn't take trains to/from the course and would have to either ride a bike or do a park-and-ride because there was a train strike.  However, obviously Fife is a long way from London.  We were wanting to take the train back on Sunday after our UK cruise from Dover to London and then take the tube to LHR.  Wondering it this is even a possibility now.  

[Globaliser]

8 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

We were wanting to take the train back on Sunday after our UK cruise from Dover to London and then take the tube to LHR.  Wondering it this is even a possibility now.  

 

Why would it not be? This corner of the country absolutely depends on rail travel. Obviously, sometimes there are engineering works. Accidents happen. Occasionally there may be other disruption like a strike. But these possibilities have always been around.

[Cotswold Eagle]

I don’t really understand the relevance of the information about going to The Open. It’s hard to say if there will be any disruption to your journey from Dover without knowing the date. 

[Eli_6]

3 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

Why would it not be? This corner of the country absolutely depends on rail travel. Obviously, sometimes there are engineering works. Accidents happen. Occasionally there may be other disruption like a strike. But these possibilities have always been around.

Well, I thought if they were striking in that part of the UK, they might be striking all over the UK.   In the US, unions are nationwide. I wasn't sure how it worked in the UK.  Plus, I had even heard recently that there was a strike in London and many of the trains were shut down. 

[Eli_6]

2 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

I don’t really understand the relevance of the information about going to The Open. It’s hard to say if there will be any disruption to your journey from Dover without knowing the date. 

Because that's where they are striking! In the US, unions are often nationwide.  If someone is part of a union and they strike, the workers strike in New York, Texas, California, etc.  Especially because the rail system does run throughout the England and Scotland.  I do not know how this works in the UK and thought it might work in the same way.  

 

If you are trying to accuse me of humble bragging, that was not my intention.  I was trying to provide relevant background information for why I am asking the question.  I suppose I could have said that "I am going to Fife before my cruise and I got a notice the trains are shut down", but I honestly didn't put that much thought into it because I didn't see it at as a big deal.    

 

My husband also mentioned to me last night (after I posted this) that he read an article that many of the trains were shut down from London to Edinburgh so it was a good thing we ended up deciding to fly rather than take the train. So, again, that makes me wonder if the train from Dover to London might be affected.

 

Furthermore, the last time we were in the UK our train was shut down mid-journey and we were left in some small town where there wasn't Uber.  I would like to avoid that happening again...especially since this time I will also be traveling with two small children and my luggage.  However, if there is no cause for concern, I would much rather take the train than spend $500+ on cruise transfers or a private car for 4 people and our luggage.    

 

[Harters]

The rail union is a national one and it's in dispute with several different train operating companies, as well as the government owned National Rail. But the strikes have only been  for 24 hour periods and are currently on hold. That said, there may be further , more extensive, action if the employers continue to be intransigent. At this point, it's impossible to know if there will be action that effects your trip.

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, Eli_6 said:

Well, I thought if they were striking in that part of the UK, they might be striking all over the UK.   In the US, unions are nationwide. I wasn't sure how it worked in the UK.  Plus, I had even heard recently that there was a strike in London and many of the trains were shut down. 

  

1 hour ago, Eli_6 said:

My husband also mentioned to me last night (after I posted this) that he read an article that many of the trains were shut down from London to Edinburgh so it was a good thing we ended up deciding to fly rather than take the train.

 

I think your answer is within your own posts. Sometimes strikes are nationwide. Sometimes they're local. It depends on what the dispute is, and with whom; and the effect even of a nationwide strike depends on exactly who's striking, and against whom. The effect of any strike also depends on how long the strike is for. We have strict laws about strikes, including about who a union can lawfully ask to go on strike, and about the notice that has to be given about any strike so that those who may be affected by it can make alternative plans. And, of course, strikes that are announced and planned for often then get called off.

 

In the last couple of months, we've had two one-day strikes on the Tube in London, and three one-day strikes on National Rail services across the UK. But the Tube strikes didn't stop the London Overground or the Elizabeth Line, and the National Rail strikes didn't affect all train operating companies.

 

Your question seemed to be contemplating that we may have lost all rail service in this part of the country and that this might continue until the end of the month (presumably you are asking about 31 July or thereabouts?). That sort of situation is simply not going to happen, because we depend on railways here.

 

If you're really asking whether there will be a strike on 31 July (or whichever date) that affects Southeastern (the train operating company that operates to Dover) or the London Underground, nobody can know at this stage.

 

I suspect, though, that if you are travelling from Scotland some time around 18-21 July, there will not be a strike that affects trains from Edinburgh to London. This is because I think there would quickly be news about new rail strikes if any dates have been set, and the time has already passed for giving notice of strikes on those days.

[Eli_6]

@Globaliser Thank you for your detailed answer.  I was interested in knowing about July 31 from Dover to London which it sounds like no one can possibly know at this point.  We decided to fly to/fro Edinburgh so that is not a concern...unless, of course, our flight is canceled and we can't get another one.  But, thus far, we have lucked out with the flights in that while British Airways has canceled about half of their flights on the days we travel, the ones that we are on have been the ones they didn't cancel. 

[PhilbeachTraveller]

So far no more strikes have been annouced but even on strike days you may be lucky as there will be a few trains running. The main thing about London to Dover is there are always engineering works going on at weekends so they replace part of the way with a bus. On the 31st July it looks like it'll be ok; there are some engineering works but not on the Dover train line.

[Globaliser]

On 7/8/2022 at 9:25 PM, Eli_6 said:

I was interested in knowing about July 31 from Dover to London which it sounds like no one can possibly know at this point.

 

OK, we now know more. The train drivers' union has announced a one-day strike on Saturday 30 July at eight train operating companies. These include Southeastern, which is the company that operates trains to/from Dover.

 

It's a common feature of these strikes that there will knock-on effects for the next day, particularly in the morning, because trains are out of position at the beginning of service due to the strike. If I were in your position, as you are heading straight to the airport from Dover on the Sunday morning, I would now be looking either for a ship's transfer or a car transfer service.

 

It would be a good idea to know what the cancellation options are for either alternative, because of course there remains a decent chance that the strike will get called off between now and then.

[cyntil8ing]

1 hour ago, Globaliser said:

 

OK, we now know more. The train drivers' union has announced a one-day strike on Saturday 30 July at eight train operating companies. These include Southeastern, which is the company that operates trains to/from Dover.

 

It's a common feature of these strikes that there will knock-on effects for the next day, particularly in the morning, because trains are out of position at the beginning of service due to the strike. If I were in your position, as you are heading straight to the airport from Dover on the Sunday morning, I would now be looking either for a ship's transfer or a car transfer service.

 

It would be a good idea to know what the cancellation options are for either alternative, because of course there remains a decent chance that the strike will get called off between now and then.

Thanks for this. We are going the opposite way -- London to Dover on 7/31. I just booked Carnival transfers from Victoria Station just in case. We can cancel them within 24 hours if the strike is called off.