At Stratford, I recall seeing LU staff at the gatelines, and Elizabeth line staff at the platforms. Will Elizabeth line staff man the gatelines on strike days?
I'm not sure yet, but it might be best to check the official Thameslink service updates closer to the date. They usually provide information about service changes due to industrial action.
And, if Thameslink don't stop there, City Thameslink (Holborn Viaduct entrance) is a very short walk from Farringdon.
Talks happened yesterday and again today. No progress yesterday (same percentage offer, refusal of 4 day week with reduced hours, and no movement on the promised Priv from 2023) and no report from today yet.
Driving a bus on a strike day would not be fun, so I wouldn't expect many volunteers for overtime. I had the misfortune to use a bus on a strike day three years ago. Two hours to do five miles. The first half hour was spent squashed up against the windscreen. The driver was very close to breaking point and exclaimed "oh for f**** sake" at one stop where people would not stand clear of the doors. If it hadn't been raining, I would have walked.
Both RMT and ASLEF wish that all post-1 April 1996 LU employees gain PRIV Authority as pre-1996 staff did.
I live in the Islington area and most staff that turn up to work are sent to Highbury & Islington or Blackhorse Road to keep those stations open. They take priority because of the Overground/National Rail services running through them. Finsbury Park's Underground and National Rail stations can be separated, so there is no need for LU staff to work there.
TfL are speaking as if it is undeliverable, which also begs the question what the RDG asked them to do.
That was over most people's heads.
Which would most likely require LU to allow NR PRIVs on a reciprocal basis, which they might not be too keen on...
It is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, though. If you tell people to take bus services, and then don't augment them, then yes it is going to be hellish for passengers and drivers alike.
No one told me to take the bus. It was either that or get wet. I was up in London on a two day bashing trip and somehow I was oblivious to the strike until I saw notices on the underground on the first day of the trip. There was no chance of getting on the 205 at Liverpool Street. I walked to the previous stop, along with many other people, and just squeezed on. The people that stayed put had no hope.
Why not? Surely the financials are negligible in the grand scheme. And I was under the impression PRIV's could already be added to Oyster cards.
So will Stratford station be open then?
ASLEF are not currently in dispute.
