Bedfordshire commuters face more rail disruption as trains cancelled for two days in February

Bedfordshire commuters will face yet more travel disruption as strike action goes ahead at the beginning of February.

Luton, Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard and Bedford passengers are urged to find alternative transport on on Wednesday, February 1, and Friday, February 3, as trains on the Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express lines will be affected.

A Govia Thameslink spokeswoman said: "Train driver members of ASLEF will be on strike as part of a national dispute and, as with much of the country, there will be no trains running on these dates."

On the mornings after each strike (Thursday, February 2, and Saturday, February 4), services will start later (from around 7.15am on Thursday) because the previous day's action will also affect the drivers of late night/overnight services and the work they do to prepare trains for the next day. Passengers are "strongly advised" to check times for their specific journey.

Online journey planners such as nationalrail.co.uk have been updated for the two strike days and Thursday, February 2. For Saturday, February 4, journey planners will be updated on 31 January.

Angie Doll, Chief Operating Officer of Govia Thameslink Railway which runs the four train companies, said: “We're really sorry for the inconvenience this strike action will cause, and ask you to plan ahead and make alternative arrangements. These strikes are terrible for everyone and we hope the national negotiations come to a successful resolution soon.”

For details on refunds and compensation during this period please visit any one of the train company websites: www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com or www.gatwickexpress.com.