LNER train drivers will strike for five days from February 5, trade union Aslef have announced.

The drivers will also refuse to work any non-contractual overtime from February 7 until February 10.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: "We have given LNER management - and their government counterparts who hold the purse strings - every opportunity to come to the table and they have so far made no realistic offer to our members.

"We have not heard from the Transport Secretary since December 2022, or from the train operating companies since April 2023. It's time for them to come to the table and work with us to resolve this dispute so we can all move forward and get our railway back on track."

When will the January and February rail strikes take place?

The LNER strike dates are the latest announced by Aslef in their ongoing pay dispute.

Members of Aslef will take part in a rolling programme of one-day strikes from the end of January into the start of February.

Different rail operators will be affected on different days over the strikes which are as follows:

  • Tuesday, January 30 - Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, GTR Thameslink, South Western Railway main line and depot drivers, SWR Island Line
  • Wednesday, January 31 - Northern and TransPennine
  • Friday, February 2 - C2C, Greater Anglia, LNER
  • Saturday, February 3 - Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains
  • Monday, February 5 - Chiltern, CrossCounty, Great Western Railway

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan added: “We have given the Government every opportunity to come to the table but it has now been a year since we had any contact from the Department for Transport. It’s clear they do not want to resolve this dispute.

“Many of our members have not had a single penny increase to their pay for half a decade, during which time inflation has soared and, with it, the cost of living.

“The Tory government has now tried its old trick of changing the rules. When they couldn’t win they brought in minimum service levels legislation.

“But this new law, as we told officials during the consultation period, won’t ease industrial strife. It will just make it worse.

“There is, frankly, no excuse for this nonsense. The Government and train operating companies (TOCs) should come to the table with a realistic offer so we can end this dispute and work together to ensure the future of our railways.”