Lanarkshire rail commuters are facing chaos this week with two days of strike action expected.
Due to strike action by RMT members of Network Rail, ScotRail is warning customers to expect significant disruption.
Network Rail strike action will take place on Thursday, August 18, and Saturday, August 20. This means a very limited number of services will operate on a limited number of ScotRail routes.
The railway will only be operational between 7.30am and 6.30pm on those dates with services on the following Lanarkshire routes running on these days
Glasgow Central – Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
Glasgow Central – Lanark: two trains per hour
Edinburgh Waverley – Glasgow Central via Shotts: one train per hour
Disruption to ScotRail services will not be confined to the days of strike action and will also impact the day following each day of action – Friday, August 19, and Sunday, August 21.
On the days following strike action, there will be disruption caused by the reopening of signal boxes at different times across the country.
David Simpson from ScotRail told Lanarkshire Live : “It is very unfortunate to see such widespread disruption across the whole of the Great Britain rail network and we know this will be frustrating for ScotRail customers.
“Regrettably, this strike action by RMT members of Network Rail means that we will not be able to operate the vast majority of our services during the period of strike action.
"Customers should expect significant disruption to services on strike days, as well as the following day.
“We are able to operate on more routes than on the previous day of strike action, however, we are still only able to run a very limited number of services on these routes, so we’re advising customers to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel if they really need to.”
In June, Lanarkshire rail workers joined their colleagues from across the country in a three-day strike.
Members of the Wishaw and Motherwell branch of the RMT union picketed at their depot in protest at potential job losses and for better pay.
At that time, branch secretary David Hainey said: “The main issues are 2900 job losses out of a workforce of 40,000 and a pay settlement after two years of a pay freeze.
“When you look at the turnouts we have had on the picket lines, it has been tremendous.
“We have got a lot of public support, especially when they are going past us when we are out.
“If you look at polling from companies like YouGov, a large majority of the public know why we are striking.
“The median salary from Network Rail is between £25,000 and £30,000, which is the same as the average UK worker.
“The RMT has never walked away from the negotiating table, the UK Government is holding the purse strings and it is up to them.”
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