Relief has arrived for workers, students and residents of south-west London as train strikes end following two years of disruption.
Yesterday, train drivers union ASLEF voted 96% in favour of accepting a part-backdated pay rise of a near 15% between the years 2022-2025.
Students at Richmond upon Thames College, Zafirah Ahmed and Diara Jacob, were elated by the news, after being forced to take online classes and not being able to visit campus when train strikes occurred.
Ahmed, who travels from Slough to Twickenham to get to college, spoke of her experience: “It’s not the same doing class online, because it’s really hard when you don’t understand the work.
“We just miss out on a lot, but I’m glad the train drivers are finally getting the pay rise they need.”
The agreement marked the end to what has been described by the Secretary General of ASLEF, Mike Whelan, as the longest train drivers’ strike in history, which contributed to 18 strikes in all and involved 16 train operators across the UK.
Jacob is, however, still concerned about the reliability of trains regardless of there being strikes or not.
She said: “Where I come from, even without strikes the trains can still be delayed with 45 minute or hour intervals.”
Muniro Siyaad, a dental nurse in Twickenham, agreed it was great train drivers will get a pay rise but the service’s unreliability had already caused her to apply for a job closer to home in Hounslow, with just a 15 minute walk.
Siyaad said: “That was my main concern, that was why I applied for a job close to my house, so I don’t have to do too much with trains.”
Her decision came particularly after she experienced cancellations and severely delayed train journeys when working as a dementia carer in Chertsey, which forced her to use other forms of transport.
Due to the urgency and timeliness of Siyaad’s work, it meant taking a bus which could turn a 30 minute route into a more than hour long ride, or a cab that would cost a lot of money.
She said: “One time I waited a whole month for my pay check to make up for what I had spent just to get to work.”
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represent operators like South Western Railway, said: “We welcome the news that the dispute with train drivers has been resolved.
“The whole railway now needs to pull together, and focus on delivering the best possible service for our customers.”
