Industrial actions involving rail workers continued this week when a firm said that it hopes for an amicable agreement on pay and working conditions. Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, who works for Arriva franchise CrossCountry, are putting together a month long ban on overtime and non-rostered Sunday working. The action also includes a refusal to clear up litter from trains.

Just yesterday, engineering work and a big lack of staff caused a disruption in rail services between Cardiff and Nottingham, and Birmingham and Stansted. It was here that buses replaced trains between the UK cities and the airports. This added an extra hour of normal travel time.

Talks to settle the dispute broke up last Friday. However, the talks will be reconvened later on this week. A spokesperson for CrossCountry said, “We met with them on Friday and we had a useful meeting, and we’re meeting with them again next Wednesday. We’re hopeful that the proposal we put forward could make an amicable agreement and see an end to this.”

However, other commuters and holidaymakers could face further travel disruptions over the next fortnight with strikes planned on the National Express East Anglia franchise. This includes the Stansted Express.

The driver’s union, Aslef, is in a separate dispute with the franchise. The dispute is also over pay and other conditions. They staged a 48-hour walkout, which ended at midnight on Friday. If the talks for next week fall through, then they plan to strike again on August 13 and 14, as well as the 20 and 21.