Commuters face further disruption this August as train drivers enforce a ban on overtime, threatening services at the height of the summer holidays.

July already saw the continuation of the travel chaos that has blighted 2023, with 20,000 rail workers walking out for three days in their prolonged pay dispute.

RMT members walked out at 14 train operators across England, after the companies failed to make revised pay offer. The latest strike action impacted fans travelling to the Ashes Test at the end of July. London Underground workers had also planned four days of walkouts in July, but this was cancelled.

Members of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, are refusing to work overtime from Monday August 7 to Saturday August 12 in another long-running dispute over pay. 

It will be the fourth week-long ban on overtime since May. They had already walked out from Monday, July 31 to Saturday, August 5.

The disruption will affect football fans travelling for the opening weekend of the Premier League season, which kicks off on Friday, August 11 with Burnley vs Manchester City. Cricket lovers will also face disruption as The Hundred continues.

RMT and Aslef strikes wreaked havoc for rail passengers in May, including thousands of people attending the FA Cup final at Wembley, the Epsom Derby, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” world tour concert at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the Eurovision final in Liverpool.