Monday 19 Dec 2022
Rail warning for those travelling by train this Christmas
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
- With RMT strikes planned on Christmas Eve, trains will stop much earlier than usual. The last train to some key destinations will be as early as 11:00
- Passengers should only take the train if it’s absolutely necessary, expect disruption and travel the day before wherever they can
- Engineering work through York station will also mean changes to services between 24 Dec – 2 Jan. Check your journey throughout the festive period at National Rail Enquiries
RMT strike action planned for Christmas Eve will have a severe impact on rail services with passengers being advised to only travel if absolutely necessary or to consider travelling another day.
On Christmas Eve (24 December), trains will stop much earlier than usual as members of the RMT Union begin strike action. It means that the last train leaving London King’s Cross for Edinburgh will leave as soon as 11:00.
People are being urged to plan ahead and avoid travelling on Christmas Eve wherever they can. Those who absolutely need to travel by train should check their journey, set off as early as possible and expect disruption.
Paul Rutter, East Coast Route Director for Network Rail said: “We’re really sorry for the disruption this will cause over the Christmas period when people are travelling to see family and friends.
“This latest round of strike action means that we’re asking passengers to only travel if it’s absolutely necessary on days and to expect some significant disruption.
“With important engineering work also taking place into the New Year, passengers should continue to check their journey throughout the festive period.”
Passengers can find the latest train times and travel advice using National Rail or their train operator’s website:
Crucial work to upgrade the tracks through York station and ultimately bring more reliable journeys for passengers will take place as planned between 24 December and 2 January. There will be changes to services throughout this period for passengers travelling between York and the North East.
Visit York track upgrade - Network Rail for the latest information.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Last trains on Saturday 24 December
Edinburgh |
Leeds |
Newcastle |
York |
|
From London |
11:00am |
12:03pm |
11:00am |
11:06am |
To London |
8:00am |
10:45am |
9:30am |
10:32am |
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Louise Leighton
Media Relations Manager
Network Rail
07858 375508
louise.leighton2@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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