Saturday 10 October 2026 brings another round of industrial action for UK rail passengers as the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) stages a 24-hour walk-out on Chiltern Railways. The operator says it will run a **“near-normal” service between London Marylebone and Birmingham/Oxford**, but no trains will run to Stratford-upon-Avon or Leamington Spa and four long-distance services are shortened. Additional Wembley Stadium calls have been added to cope with football traffic. The stoppage is part of a long-running national pay dispute but is the only rail strike scheduled this weekend after TransPennine Express suspended action planned for Sunday. Business travellers using Chiltern’s popular Marylebone–Birmingham corridor should still check journey planners: last-minute crew shortages could see short-notice cancellations, and on-board catering is axed. Advance tickets can be used on earlier or later trains, and full fee-free refunds are available for unused journeys. If your itinerary involves onward international travel, allow extra contingency. Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express and other airport links are unaffected today, but the knock-on risk of missed connections remains. Employers with large commuter populations into London or the West Midlands should notify staff about flexible-working options and remind travellers to keep receipts for any additional taxi or hotel costs for expense claims. A further strike is pencilled in for Saturday 17 October; negotiations continue but no breakthrough is in sight. HR and mobility teams should therefore factor potential rail disruption into autumn relocation schedules and client-site visits.
