Travel disruptions are causing ‘frustration’ among students as train strikes have returned and more are planned for the festive season.
Two 48-hour strikes will take place from Tuesday and Friday, with further action expected this month and in January.
The RMT union said 40,000 workers would exit after the collapse of the latest talks over wages and working conditions.
Network Rail – which manages the rail infrastructure – said passengers should only travel if absolutely necessary.
Transport for Wales (TfW) said it was not involved in the action but still could not operate services on Network Rail’s tracks on strike days.
It was said that limited services operated between Cardiff and Newport and the core valley lines during the campaign.
Huw Gwynn, 21, a Swansea University student from Bangor, Gwynedd, said he understood why the industrial action was being taken but it was “frustrating for people who depend on getting trains”.
“It’s very problematic, to be honest,” he said. “It makes it really difficult for me to plan everything.”
The third-year Welsh student was previously affected and took nearly nine hours by bus to get home.
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Katie Howell, a fourth-year graphic design student at Wrexham, is experiencing the same thing.
She had booked a ticket home to Gloucester a few weeks ago when prices were cheaper, but was told last week her train was no longer running.
“It’s just annoying,” she said.
“It adds extra stress this time of year because I have a lot of work to do and I try to get as much work done before Christmas as possible so it just adds to all of that.”
The promotion also meant she missed university events as she now had to travel home earlier because booking an alternative ticket would be “double the price”.
Katie said the ticket only allowed her to use it on a couple of alternative days and she couldn’t book seats on any of the services available, so it was “massively free for everyone”.
RMT’s strike action was confirmed after the union rejected the latest wage offer on Monday.
The union represents Network Rail employees who maintain the railways, such as signallers and maintenance workers, as well as workers from 14 railway companies.
- 13-14 December
- 16-17 December
- 24-27 December
- 3rd-4th January
- 6th-7th January
TfW said services would also be affected on Thursday – a day without a strike – as a result of strike action, meaning the first trains of the day will depart from most stations after 0700 GMT.
And some late-night services are unlikely to operate, with passengers advised to check their journeys in advance.
The rail sector isn’t the only industry to face strikes this month, with postal workers, baggage handlers, road workers and nurses facing walkouts.
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Workers are demanding better working conditions and wage increases to keep up with the cost of living.
The RMT is involved in two rounds of talks; one with Network Rail and one with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents 14 rail companies.
Union rep Steven Skelly said they had turned down offers because they were “below inflation and entail huge job cuts,” adding that it would also lead to “dramatic changes” in working and employment conditions.
He added that RMT members “disagree with the profit motive and cost-cutting agenda that seem to be driving this.”
The rail industry is under pressure to save money after the pandemic left its finances a hole, and bosses have said reforms are needed to modernize rail services and make pay rises affordable.
Network Rail chief Andrew Haines said the RMT needed to “think long and hard about what to do next”.
“More strike action will bring further misery to the railway industry and its members, who are suffering wage cuts,” he said.
“We will continue to work closely with operators to offer as many services as possible, but we continue to ask passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary.”
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