Rail Strike Advice

Last updated 1 December

Several rail strikes are taking place next month in the UK. Use this page to plan your trip with Stansted Express.

Stansted Express Services

Timetables

Our online train times tool has been updated with the correct train times for Friday 1 to Friday 8 December. 

For journeys on Saturday 9 December, please check after 2 December as these may change.

UK services

Other UK train companies will be impacted by industrial action between Saturday 2 December and Saturday 9 December.

If you're using the national rail network, you can check times on the Greater Anglia website for journeys between Friday 1 to Friday 8 December. 

For journeys on Saturday 9 December, please check after 1 December.

Helpful travel tips

• Use alternative transport if you need to
• Be aware of planned service alterations

Assisted Travel

If you need assistance, please contact Passenger Assist in advance to plan your trip.

New bookings will be available for strike days when the timetable is confirmed.

If you’ve already booked assistance it may be affected by timetable changes due to strike action so you should check if your train is running before making your journey. We will endeavour to contact you to notify you if this is the case.

Will there be more strikes?

It is possible that there will be more rail strikes in the UK. Unions have to give two weeks’ notice to train companies of any further strike dates. We’ll share our travel advice for strikes that affect the Stansted Express on this page.

Strike refund information

1. Travel on a different day with the same ticket

• If you bought your train ticket before 17 November and its dated for travel between Saturday 2 and Friday 8 December 2023, you can use the ticket on another day between Friday 1 up to and including Tuesday 12 December 2023.
• We recommend avoiding the day before and after a strike day as trains could be busy
• You will need to buy a new London Underground ticket for its portion of your journey

2. Claim a refund

• If you bought a ticket and decide not to travel because your train is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, you can claim a full refund. Please go back to your original place of purchase.
• If you have an Advance single ticket or a return ticket booked with us and don't travel, you can claim a full refund if your outward or return journey falls on a strike day.
• You need to claim within 28 days from the last day of the validity of your ticket.
• Customers are strongly encouraged to refund their tickets and rebook for a day that is not close to a strike day, as trains on the days immediately before and after strike days are expected to be busy.
• Please don't send us images of passports, credit or debit cards, driving licences and bank statements or information which is personal to you. If we do need further information from you to look into a complaint or enquiry then we will get in touch about what we need and how to send it to us.

If your journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more, you can claim compensation with Delay Repay.

Refund tickets purchased on our website

Email your request with your original booking confirmation to [email protected].

Refund tickets purchased at our stations or Stansted Airport

Send your unused tickets, with a note of your name and address, to:

Refunds Department
Greater Anglia
The Hub
Colchester North Station
Colchester CO1 1JS
United Kingdom

Season tickets

If you activated a Flexi Season pass, or are a Season ticket holder (monthly or longer, you can claim a day back if your train operator is impacted by a full strike day, and don't travel because you're unable to, with Delay Repay.

When making your claim, please select the 'Did Not Travel' option. You'll just need to tell us the outward portion of your trip only (not return journey) to claim a full day of your ticket.

Weekly Season Tickets and Weekly Travelcards which haven’t started yet can be refunded but a £10 admin fee may apply. It’s recommended you use the Season Ticket Calculator to make sure that a Weekly Season ticket is the best value during a period of industrial action, as compensation won’t be available unless your service is cancelled or delayed.

Contact us

If you need help, you can contact us by submitting an online form.

Find other ways to contact us.

Useful information

View information about how other trains in the UK will be affected by rail strikes.