Train strikes have become increasingly more frequent in the last year or so, though the reason for these strikes is very much justified there is no doubt that they pose challenges on daily commuters. And their impacts are much more than occasional inconveniences. 

 

For many students, travelling to school is a long and painstaking process, and in recent days journey times have more than doubled for some. Trains are being cancelled at the last minute and aren’t able to handle the number of passengers. On some days, no trains are running at all meaning that alternative routes that may not be easily accessible have to be taken or they have to be driven to school building up the load on roads and causing stand still traffic which in turn results in excess fuel being burnt and increased environmental pollution. 

 

The transport issues are having impacts on students' academic and extracurricular opportunities as well. Increased journey times makes it increasingly difficult to arrive at school on time meaning that students miss out on lesson time. As well as this, arriving home late means that students end up having to choose between school work and extracurricular activities due to having less time available.

 

Sage Udernani expressed her frustrations explaining how, “It’s ridiculously hard to get somewhere at a set time when there's issues along public transport and I appreciate the reasoning behind the strikes but some people don’t and it's frustrating seeing school life and attendance being affected. As a student, time is so valuable and missing out on learning can really hold me back in the future.”

 

The significant disruption caused by the train strikes is not something that can be sustained for much longer. As a nation that is so heavily reliant on public transport surely companies must recognise the importance of giving key workers like train drivers pay rises. Until some action is taken, it seems that we will have to continue facing these inconvenient circumstances.