Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Peter Davidson

Scots urged to plan ahead for train strikes as rail workers walk out during Christmas holidays

Passengers are being urged to plan ahead as rail workers begin a fresh round of strikes over the festive period.

Members of the RMT trade union will walk out from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27 as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

ScotRail services will run as normal until 3pm on December 26 but there will be no trains running on Boxing Day and services will resume later than normal on December 27.

Major disruption to both ScotRail and cross-border services is also expected in the first week of January.

Train drivers across 15 rail companies - including TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast - will walk-out from January 5.

Nicola Sturgeon last week called on the UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper to meet with unions in order to resolve the situation.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said strikes will continue as planned unless the UK Government comes up with an offer for his members.

He added: "The union remains available for talks to resolve this dispute. But until the government gives the rail industry a mandate to come to a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and condition of work, our industrial campaign will continue into the new year, if necessary."

David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: "It’s really disappointing to see more disruption across the whole Great Britain rail network as a result of the dispute between Network Rail and the RMT at a time when we need to be encouraging more people back to the railway.

"For ScotRail, this is going to mean significant disruption with last trains stopping earlier than usual on Christmas Eve, no services on Boxing Day, and later first trains on Tuesday, 27 December.

"We know this is really frustrating for everyone impacted and we’re urging customers to plan ahead and check their entire journey in advance."

To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.