Rail services in Kent are facing major disruption again next month after train drivers announced yet another round of strikes.

Drivers at 16 operating companies, including Southeastern, intend to stage a fresh wave of walkouts across the week of the first bank holiday in May.

On top of this – the drivers’ union Aslef has announced plans for a six-day overtime ban that will begin on Monday, May 6 that could further disrupt or cancel some rail services.

The announcement is likely to bring prolonged travel chaos to passengers across the country as a result of the rolling 24-hour walkouts.

The industrial action follows previous rolling strikes that took place initially in December and again in April.

The union claims train drivers have not had a pay rise for five years – since April 2019 – and voted back in February to continue their industrial action in pursuit of better wages.

Strikes will take place in May on the following dates at the following train operating companies:

Tuesday, May 7 at c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express and South Western Railway.

Wednesday, May 8 will see strikes at Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway and West Midlands Trains.

May 9 for Aslef members at LNER, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express.

General secretary Mick Whelan said: “It is now a year since we sat in a room with the train companies and a year since we rejected the risible offer they made and which they admitted, privately, was designed to be rejected.

“We first balloted for industrial action in June 2022, after three years without a pay rise. It took eight one-day strikes to persuade the train operating companies (Tocs) to come to the table and talk.

“Our negotiating team met the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on eight occasions – the last being on Wednesday April 26 last year.”