STRIKES by the railway workers union mean that there could be no services out of Worcester on Saturdays until the end of the year.

Nationwide industrial action by The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers means that this Saturday (November 16) there will be no train services from Worcester to Birmingham and subsequently every following Saturday unless the strike is called off or concessions are made by the rail operators.

If the strikes go ahead there will be no train service between Hereford, Worcester and Birmingham New Street in either direction from 1am until 11.59pm on November 16, November 23, November 30, December 7, December 14, December 21 and December 28.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT has been left with no choice but to call strike action on West Midlands Trains in the face of the company’s refusal to pull back from their threat to bulldoze through Driver Only Operation and their attack on the safety critical role of the guard at the platform/train interface.

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“We will not allow the drive for profit to override the core issue of safe and accessible services for all on West Midlands Trains and we stand firm on that very basic principle.

"We will never compromise on the issues of passenger safety and accessibility.

“The union remains available for talks.”

The strikes come amid widespread dissatisfaction with the rail service providers, with Worcester Commuters regularly complaining of too few carriages leading to overcrowding.

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Last week, the Worcester News reported how promised extra carriages had failed to materialise on the right services.

Worcester MP Robin Walker and West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin both said they had secured the extra carriages following meetings with West Midlands Rail to discuss customer concerns.

Mr Walker said at the time he was “very cross” and that WMR had “done themselves no favours” by not honouring their commitment to specific services.

He said: “The WMR people tell me that they do have the additional carriages, but cannot guarantee they will be used on specific services.

“They told me and Harriett Baldwin that they would be putting them on specific services so I am very annoyed that they have not been able to deliver on this. I think that should be borne in mind at future franchising discussions.”