Are there train strikes on New Year's Eve, December 31st 2022?
Andrew Walker
Updated on March 24, 2026
Train strikes continue to cause disruption across the UK during the festive period, but is there any industrial action on December 31st?
Walkouts have been ongoing for over seven months now, since June 2022, as rail workers strike over pay, working conditions and pension changes.
Most of the strikes have been called by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union which has over 80,000 members.
Industrial action in the second and third weeks of December caused Christmas chaos, and there are still more strikes to come.
Read on to find out whether there are strikes on New Year’s Eve…
Are there train strikes on December 31st?
No, thankfully there are no train strikes on December 30 or 31. This means trains across Britain will be running as normal on New Year weekend.
There will also be a normal service on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2023. Check your local train operator’s website for the latest timetables.
All national strike dates in December and January
- Saturday, December 24 (Christmas Eve)
- Tuesday, December 27
- Tuesday, January 3
- Wednesday, January 4
- Friday, January 6
- Saturday, January 7
National Rail says services will be “significantly reduced” on Christmas Eve and is warning passengers to only travel if “absolutely necessary” on Saturday, December 24.
Trains will be busier than usual and finish at around 3pm, with last trains departing earlier. There will also be no services at all in some places.
As well as the national strikes, there are regional strikes on Chiltern Railways from Tuesday, December 13 to Sunday, January 8 and on East Midlands Railway from Friday, December 23 to Saturday, December 24.
There will be no trains on Christmas Day (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 27) as usual.
The 48-hour strikes on January 3 and 4 and 6 and 7 have been called by the RMT union and are national strikes that will affect most rail companies.
National strikes affect all of Britain’s train operators including:
- Avanti West Coast
- C2C
- Chiltern Railways
- East Midlands Railway
- Gatwick Express
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia
- Hull Trains
- Heathrow Express
- London Overground
- LNER
- Merseyrail
- Northern
- Scotrail
- South Western Railway
- Southeastern
- Southern
- Stansted Express
- Thameslink
- Transpennine Express
- West Midlands Railway
Why are rail workers still striking?
Rail workers are still striking as industry bosses have failed to offer any new deals on pay, pensions and working conditions.
“This latest round of strikes will show how important our members are to the running of this country and will send a clear message that we want a good deal on job security, pay and conditions for our people,” RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said.
He claimed it’s been “impossible” to find a negotiated settlement and said “employers are in disarray and saying different things to different people”.
“This whole process has become a farce that only the new Secretary of State can resolve,” he added on November 22. “Working people across our class need a pay rise and we are determined to win that for our members in RMT.”
