Watch: Passengers ‘break out’ of locked Walsall station amid West Midlands rail strike chaos

Rail passengers caught up in the West Midlands train strike chaos have described scenes of confusion and frustration after the final trains between Birmingham and Rugeley Trent Valley were terminated early on Friday — leaving travellers stranded and allegedly locked inside Walsall station.

Watch the video as crowds ‘break out’ of station.

One commuter, who did not wish to be named, branded the situation “an utter shambles” after passengers on one of the last evening services on Friday were forced off at Walsall with no clear information about replacement transport.

He said: “The last two trains of the day have been terminated early at Walsall. Passengers kicked off the train were then locked in the station and had to break out by lifting up fence panels.

“No word on bus replacement. After 10 minutes on the phone to a call centre they could not say if there was a bus or when it would come. An utter shambles.”

But rail bosses told the Express & Star today that the station “was not locked”.

A West Midlands Railway spokesperson said: "We are sorry to passengers who were confused by arrangements for exiting Walsall Station on Friday afternoon.

"The gate to exit the station was closed but not locked. We are reviewing the station signage to ensure exit routes are clearly marked."

The disruption comes as members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) stage industrial action affecting services operated by West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway across Friday and Saturday.

Passengers across the region have been warned to expect severe disruption, reduced timetables and early finishes to services during the strike action.

Major disruption across the West Midlands

West Midlands Railway warned customers to “only travel if necessary” as trains were limited to a small number of routes.

The operator confirmed services would run to a heavily reduced timetable from 7am, with no trains operating after 7pm on Friday and a delayed start on Saturday morning.

Routes operating with reduced services included:

• Birmingham to Liverpool — one train per hour
• Birmingham to Northampton, Milton Keynes and London Euston — one train per hour
• Cross City Line between Lichfield Trent Valley and Redditch/Bromsgrove — two trains per hour
• Wolverhampton to Walsall via Birmingham New Street — one train per hour
• Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham International — one train per hour

Passengers were urged to check journeys before travelling and allow extra time due to expected disruption.

The dispute involves roster clerks, duty train crew managers and control staff represented by the TSSA union.

TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said workers were demanding pay parity with staff represented by other unions.

She said: “That is an intolerable situation, especially given the fact these are modest demands.

“Our reps have consulted the membership and they remain determined to proceed with their legitimate action.

“It’s now up to the company to come to their senses and stop these walkouts. Our union remains open to further discussions and only takes strike action as a last resort.”

Ian McConnell, Managing Director at West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway, apologised to passengers affected by the disruption.

He said: “This strike action will cause disruption to our customers with a significantly reduced timetable in operation on both dates.

“We are doing all we can to minimise the impact as far as possible and apologise to customers for the inconvenience.

“Where services are running, we advise customers to only travel if necessary and to allow more time for their journey.”

The industrial action has sparked anger among commuters already facing repeated disruption across the region’s rail network in recent weeks, with many questioning the lack of communication and contingency planning after passengers at Walsall were reportedly left stranded late at night.