PASSENGERS travelling from Scotland to England have been warned there will be no services on Friday, May 12, with a vastly reduced timetable the following day.

A strike by members of Aslef, the train drivers' union, means there will be no Avanti West Coast services on Friday and customers are being told not to attempt travel and instead claim a refund, seek alternative transport, or rearrange journeys for another date.

Options to travel by rail will be "extremely limited" on the West Coast Main Line between London, Scotland and North Wales. Many destinations will have no rail connectivity on May 12 and rail replacement services will not be in place either.

The following day members of the RMT will strike, with "a greatly reduced timetable" in place on Avanti West Coast.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "This strike takes place in the wake of a recent re-ballot of members working for 14 train operating companies which massively reaffirmed a mandate for further strike action.

“Throughout this dispute – which has gone on for over a year – the Government has tied the hands of the railway companies and prevented them offering a fair deal.

Glasgow Times: RMT leader Mick Lynch said the strikes had made rail bosses "see sense"

“We are striking so that the employers and Government can see the huge anger amongst rail workers is very real and they need to recognise that fact, face reality and make improved proposals.

“We are calling for the rail companies to get around the table with RMT and negotiate in good faith for a better deal for rail workers."

The RMT said it had chosen May 13, the day the Eurovision Song Contest is held in Liverpool, because "it was the last date allowed under this country’s anti-trade union laws".

Aslef said: "Train drivers agree that every working person should be paid fairly and that pay should be increased to keep pace with inflation - many public sector workers deserve far more than their long-frozen pay amounts to.

READ MORE: ScotRail issue update on strike action

"Senior managers in our industry take home huge salaries; rail operators have paid dividends to their shareholders right through the pandemic, and the rolling stock companies (who own the trains and lease them back out) have made billions. The claim that there's no money left to pay rail workers properly is just not true.

"During the pandemic, train drivers went out to work to keep the country moving. Rail helped other key workers get to work, and kept goods like food and medicines moving around the country."

Barry Milsom, executive director of operations and safety at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re doing all we can to get visitors to and from Liverpool during Eurovision but more strike action by Aslef and RMT will affect our services. Due to Aslef’s walkout on May 12, we’ll have no trains on this day and are telling customers not to travel.

“During the strike action by RMT on May 13 we’ll be operating a significantly reduced timetable, so all our customers should plan ahead, check before they travel and be aware of their last train home.

“While we’re able to serve Liverpool with our normal frequency of services on this day, RMT’s action means our last train to depart the city will be much earlier and Eurovision fans should also consider their travel options. Any customers with tickets for May 12 and 13 can make their journey on alternative days or claim a full refund.

“We’d like to thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding as they face further disruption to their journeys. We will continue our industry reform talks with the RMT and Aslef so we can develop a railway fit for the 21st century.”