Q We are flying from Manchester to Guernsey, but are returning to Exeter airport with a train booked from Devon to Manchester on 18 August – one of the rail strike dates. We have to cancel our hotel a week before to avoid being charged. Our flights with Aurigny are non-refundable. So do we cut our losses and lose (a lot!) of money on the flights? Or go as planned, hope for the best and try and stagger home on the train a day later?
Elin 2011
A Rail strikes are falling thick and fast, with all three railway unions taking action over the next three weeks. Today and again on Saturday 13 August, train drivers belonging to Aslef who work for a wide range of train operators will walk out. The next action by the RMT union, largely representing other trades, will be on 18 and 20 August – augmented by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association working for a number of train operators.
The key disruption on those later dates will arise from a walkout by Network Rail signallers who belong to the RMT. Yet you should still be able to get home. Your flight arrives at Exeter good and early at 8.30am. That gives you the whole day to do battle with the railways. No timetables have been published yet for 18 August. CrossCountry is unlikely to be running trains from Exeter via Bristol and Birmingham to Manchester, but I believe a journey between the southwest and the northwest will be feasible.
Great Western Railway is likely to run trains from Exeter to London Paddington between 7.30am and 6pm. There is no London Underground strike (that happens the following day) so you can smoothly travel from Paddington to Euston Square on the Circle line. Avanti West Coast is likely to be operating one or two trains an hour from Euston to Manchester Piccadilly. The journey will be more cumbersome than you anticipated, but should still be manageable in seven hours or so.
Will your CrossCountry ticket be valid? It is not clear yet, but I believe staff on GWR and Avanti West Coast will accept it (you will probably have to pay the Underground fare across London).
Finally, you might want to explain the situation to Aurigny and see if there is any scope for moving you to the Guernsey-Southampton flight. If that were possible, you would save a great deal of hassle because there is a station right next to Southampton airport, with an hourly service to London Waterloo. Personally, I would pay £30 or £40 for the easier journey. Again, there is no clarity about accepting your rail…
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