Stirling’s rail passengers are facing travel hell next week as strike action leaves the region with no trains for three days next week.
The latest walkout of RMT staff will see around 50,000 railway workers walk out across the UK on Tuesday (June 21), with 40,000 also set to strike on Thursday and Saturday (June 23 and 25).
The strike means that around 90 per cent of Scotland’s railway services are set to be cut on those three days, with an emergency timetable brought in to cover some services.
However, no trains are set to call into Stirling, Dunblane or Bridge of Allan stations - with a pair of local politicians writing to Network Rail bosses to prepare alternative means of public transport for commuters and other passengers set to be left in the lurch.
Stirling MP Alyn Smith and Clackmannanshire and Dunblane MSP Keith Brown have penned their letter to Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, reiterating the importance of reliable public transport.
Mr Smith said: “The disruption facing our railways is a complex picture, with multiple disputes and parties involved.
“In this specific instance, the UK Government must have confidence that Network Rail are doing everything possible to offer a reasonable settlement and negotiate in good faith.
“Scottish passengers shouldn’t suffer for any UK Government inaction on this. Alternative means of transport should also be available, to avoid increasing the number of cars on our roads.”
Meanwhile, Stirling MSP Evelyn Tweed added: "“It is disappointing to see more than 90 per cent of Scotland’s services cancelled over three days next week.
"This will affect the millions of people who count on trains to get around including keyworkers, students sitting exams, or the tourists visiting Scotland which are crucial to our economy.
“The UK Government must stop being a spectator and get a handle on this. Rather than sitting on their hands saying unions should ‘act like adults’, they should roll up their sleeves and play their part in getting people round the table to resolve this in a constructive manner.”
But Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Dean Lockhart said rail passengers in the region faced a "calamity" and said the strike action would have a major impact on Stirling.
Mr Lockhart said: "‘’These strikes threaten to cut off Stirling, Bridge of Allan and Dunblane at a time when we are already seeing reduced rail services.
‘’With confirmation from Scotrail that they will be running none of their services at all into or within the region on the affected days, we are facing a real calamity in our transport network.
“This will severely disrupt the lives of those who use our railways to get to work, to travel or to reach vital appointments. And there is likely to be considerable knock-on disruption to services on the days around the strikes too.
“At the start of our key tourist season, this will have an enormous impact on Stirling and on so many local businesses. And as I understand, there are currently no plans set out for rail replacement services in the region or for increasing capacity on other transport options.
“This action by the RMT is irresponsible, particularly in areas like ours where connectivity is so important and where travellers will be left with no other option but to drive, despite high fuel costs."
The latest disruption follows on from a period of extended disruption on the country’s railways due to a previous dispute with the drivers’ union Aslef leading to the introduction of a ‘temporary timetable’.
That timetable saw services cut back to around 1,500 a day from more than 2,000 under the previous arrangement - but next week’s more extensive strike action will lead to only around 150 trains running across the network on those days.
They include two trains per hour on the Glasgow to Edinburgh line via Falkirk High, two trains per hour between Edinburgh and Bathgate and a pair of trains per hour on the Glasgow-Hamilton/Larkhall and Glasgow-Lanark services.
There will also be a single hourly service running between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Shotts.
David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “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 next week, including on the days between strike action."
