The Rail, Maritime and Transport union strike officially begins today (Monday 20 June) and will continue throughout the week.
Commuter chaos ensued thismorning in Leeds and will continue throughout the day as a whopping 80% of all trains running across Great Britain are cancelled.
Today marks the biggest walk-out of rail staff in more than 30 years with further walk-outs due to take place on Thursday and Saturday. The union have confirmed that an estimated 50,000 employees will be walking out over the course of the week, making it the biggest train strike since 1989.
The strikes are an attempt to reform the rail industry and Network Rail alongside 13 other train networks will be taking part.
Strike days are scheduled today, Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June. A very limited service will be seen from all networks on these days with most trains only running between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
Network Rail has urged passengers to check their travel route ahead of time with train operators and only travel if absolutely necessary on strike days. The disruption will heavily impact Leeds and Yorkshire, here is a list of all the services effected.
Northern Rail
Northern Rail have stated they will have "extremely limited availability" of train staff and that the majority of services will not be running. They urge passengers not to travel at all between Tuesday 21 June and Sunday 26 June.
The seven services running on the days of the strike are as follows:
Transpennine will also experience serious disruption and will be closing a number of stations during the strike period.
There will be roughly one train per hour between Manchester and York, and every two to four hours on other routes, and no trains at all to the following stations:
Yarm
Scarborough
Seamer
Malton
Selby
Brough
Hull
Some other Transpennine services will only have limited availability, these are as follows:
LNER have announced that only 38% of their trains will be running on all strike days.
There will be no services between Leeds, Harrogate, Hull, Skipton and Bradford Forster Square. The Leeds to London service will also be extremely limited with only one train every hour.
On strike days there will be one fast train per hour between Nottingham, Sheffield, Corby and London and one per hour on routes between Derby, Matlock, Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield. All other lines will be closed.
For more information and to view their timetable, click here.
Crosscountry
Crosscountry will also be running a very limited service with no road transport busses in replacement.
You can find more information and their timetable here.
The finale of The Celebrity Traitors is hitting our TV screens next Friday, and there’s a big screening party happening in Leeds especially for it.
Don't panic guys, it's happening.
Fancy sitting down to watch one of the cultural events of the year on a big screen with dozens of others who are just as invested in the show as you are? Well, now you can.
And that’s because Belgrave Music Hall, one of the city’s most beloved event spaces and bars, will be hosting a finale watching party and we’re all invited.
Taking place next Friday 23 January, fans of The Traitors are invited to watch the finale which kicks off 9pm in the canteen.
Best part? The tickets are absolutely free and we've no doubt there'll be some banging drink deals on to get the party started.
We’re already searching our wardrobes for an item of clothing that remotely resembles a cloak.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Belgrave said: "The world famous Traitors finale screening is back at Belgrave! In the past we've been graced with the presence of OG Faithful @theomayne1, plus our Clauds has been known to make an appearance (please scroll for evidence)... twists and turns are promised 👀"
So to give this series of The Traitors a proper send off, get yourself to Belgrave Music Hall from 6pm and enjoy a few beverages with like minded fans whilst screaming at the screen as Claudia makes her way into the frame.
Whilst we're on the topic, has anyone got an incredibly glossy black fringed wig we could borrow?
Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires have announced a huge gig in Halifax
Daisy Jackson
Hollywood Vampires are heading back out on tour, with a huge Yorkshire gig announced for this year.
The supergroup, which consists of one of the biggest names in Hollywood as well as one of rock’n’roll’s most iconic names, are set to perform at the AO Arena as part of a run of shows.
Hollywood Vampires is made up of A-lister Johnny Depp, as well as rock royalty including Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, plus Tommy Henriksen.
They last performed with an arena tour back in 2023, making these their first gigs in almost three years.
Hollywood Vampires have now announced a return to the stage, with a show at the iconic Piece Hall in Halifax on 22 August.
They’ll be supported by The Jesus and Mary Chain, who marked their 40th anniversary in 2024 with a new album, Glasgow Eyes.
Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires announce Manchester gig. Credit: Aaron Perry
Hollywood Vampires formed in 2012, named after Cooper’s celebrity drinking club of the same name where the aim was reportedly to ‘drink until no one could stand up’.
Over the years, the supergroup has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Zak Starkey (formerly the drummer for Oasis).
A Three Presale for tickets will take place from 10am on Wednesday 21 January, followed by a venue presale on Thursday 22 January, then general sale from 10am on Friday 23 January.