UK-wide railway staff strike announced by union RMT set to halt train services in the Highlands next week
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TRAIN services across the Highlands and parts of Scotland will be cancelled next week as a three-day strike has been announced.
The strike action by union RMT will take place on June 21, 23 and 25 and will severely limit the number of services operating for passengers and freight, with railway operating for part of the day on strike dates on selected Central Belt routes running only between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
Although ScotRail staff are not participating in the strike, their services on strike days will only operate on five routes:
- Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh – Bathgate: two trains per hour
- Glasgow – Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
- Glasgow – Lanark: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh – Glasgow via Shotts: one train per hour
Scotrail is calling for customers to travel only if they really need to and should consider alternative options where possible.
On the days following strike action, there will be disruption caused by the reopening of signal boxes at different times across the country. Signal boxes are key pieces of infrastructure located across the rail network that control train movements, their use is critical to ensure that the railway can operate safely.
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.
“On the five routes where we are able to operate a very limited service on strike days, we’re advising customers to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel if they really need to.”
Customers are advised to check the ScotRail app or visit scotrail.co.uk for the latest information before travelling.
RMT members from Network Rail Scotland and cross-border train operators LNER, CrossCounty, Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express will be taking part in the industrial action.
Passengers can find more information about their journey by visiting National Rail Enquiries or checking with their individual operator.
