Brits face travel misery & ‘no trains after 7pm’ after rail union votes in favour of biggest strike in DECADES
RAILWAY workers have overwhelmingly voted for the biggest strike in decades.
Union leaders are now set to decide when to call the strikes, which will bring huge parts of the rail network to a standstill.
It is possible that trains will only run for part of the day, such as 7am to 7pm and only on main lines.
Some 71 per cent of more than 40,000 balloted Rail, Maritime and Transport union members took part.
And 89 per cent voting for the strike.
Services affected include Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern Railway, South Western Railway, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains.
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The union is locked in a bitter dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.
Firebrand bosses previously vowed to inflict a “summer of discontent” unless they get a massive 10 per cent pay rise.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Today's overwhelming endorsement by railway workers is a vindication of the union's approach and sends a clear message that members want a decent pay rise, job security and no compulsory redundancies.
"Our NEC will now meet to discuss a timetable for strike action from mid-June.
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"We sincerely hope ministers will encourage the employers to return to the negotiating table and hammer out a reasonable settlement with the RMT."
A walkout by Network Rail signallers will have a significant impact on services.
Services could be reduced to around a fifth of the normal weekday timetable.
Last week fears were growing over a crippling rail strike this summer which could leave supermarket shelves empty and petrol pumps dry.
A senior rail source told The Times: “We want to keep people and goods moving but there is no doubt we face serious challenges.
“There is an awful lot of work going on behind the scenes including around what the timetable might look like.
“One option is times of the day when only freight services operate.”
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Boris Johnson is set to meet with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to discuss the crisis.
A Whitehall source said supermarket bosses could be contacted to discuss their emergency plans amid fears of a catastrophic impact on their supply chains.