National rail strikes by train drivers will enter a third summer with a series of “rolling” walk-outs, one region at a time, during May.

Members of the Aslef union aim to halt thousands of trains on 7th-9th May 2024 – with commuters among the targets.

The aim is to disrupt services on the 14 rail firms in England that are controlled by the UK government and represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Rolling strikes cause maximum disruption for minimum loss of pay.

In addition, six days of overtime bans will cause further cancellations from 6th-11th May. The first day is the early May bank holiday, while the last coincides with Take That performing in Manchester.

The previous national industrial action by train drivers, comprising an overtime ban and rolling regional walk-outs, hit passengers in April.

Industrial action by Aslef train drivers in their dispute over pay and working arrangements began in July 2022. The union is demanding a no-strings pay award, but rail firms – directed by ministers – say any increase is contingent on radical reforms to working practices in order to reduce public subsidies.

During the dispute, hundreds of millions of journeys have been cancelled. Billions of pounds have been lost to the UK economy – particularly hospitality businesses.

Taxpayers are pumping cash into an increasingly decrepit and unreliable railway to the tune of £90 per second on top of the normal subsidy. Over the course of a year, that amounts to £2.8bn in additional public cash.

The quarrel has become increasingly bitter, with no sign of any progress towards a settlement.