Chiltern Railways to run most services despite strike action on Thursday
By Emily Griffin 10th Nov 2026
More than 90 per cent of Chiltern Railways services are expected to run as normal on Thursday (November 12) despite planned industrial action by RMT union members.
The strike action, involving train managers, is linked to a dispute over how services will operate on the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes.
However, Chiltern Railways said the vast majority of its services would be unaffected, with trains also running to and from Wembley Stadium Station for the England vs Croatia football match on Thursday evening.
There will be some changes to the timetable, including no direct Chiltern services between Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa.
Services will also not operate north of Birmingham Moor Street, while a small reduction in the number of trains between Leamington Spa and Birmingham Moor Street will affect passengers at Hatton and Lapworth.
Passengers travelling between Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon will be able to use West Midlands Railway services via Dorridge at no extra cost.
Customers travelling between Birmingham Moor Street and Stourbridge Junction will also be able to use their tickets on West Midlands Railway services.
Tony Baxter, interim managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: "We're disappointed that the RMT is continuing with industrial action over how we intend to run services on the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes.
"Industrial action by Train Managers has been announced by the RMT on 12 November.
"We expect to run the vast majority of our services on that day, helping to minimise disruption for customers, and will publish confirmed timetables as soon as possible."
He said every East West Rail service would have two people on board – the driver and a colleague responsible for looking after passengers, checking tickets and providing assistance.
Mr Baxter added that the company had operated most of its trains with drivers controlling the doors for decades, with the practice approved by the independent rail regulator.
He said the plans would also create more than 100 permanent jobs at Chiltern Railways, with no changes to the roles of existing employees.
He added: "We remain committed to working with the RMT to resolve this, and urge them to work with us so passengers can start benefiting from this new railway as soon as possible."
Passengers can find further information about the industrial action here.
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