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Monday 25 Jul 2022

Railway prepares for network-wide RMT strike on Wednesday

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail Scotland and train companies are working closely to run as many services as possible during industrial action by the RMT union this Wednesday (July 27). 

The strike will affect Network Rail operations and 14 train companies across Britain – including some cross-border operators on Scotland’s Railway – causing significant disruption for customers.

ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper staff are not participating in the strike, but their services will also be disrupted.

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.

The strike action by the RMT will severely limit the number of services operating for passengers and freight across Scotland.

The rail industry is working hard to put plans in place to run as many trains as possible for customers during the strike.

The strike will mean a very limited train service will be running as a reduction in available staff, including signallers, will mean many rail lines cannot operate.

The railway will only operate for part of the day on Wednesday, with services running from around 07:30 to around 18:30.

Services on Thursday will also start later in the morning due to the knock-on impact of industrial action on shift patterns.

On the day of the strike, services in Scotland will be running on some Central Belt and cross-border routes only, including:

• West Coast Mainline
• East Coast Mainline
• Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High
• Edinburgh – Bathgate
• Glasgow – Hamilton/Larkhall
• Glasgow – Lanark
• Edinburgh – Glasgow via Shotts.

Passengers can find more information about their journey by visiting National Rail Enquiries or checking with their individual operator.

If you're unsure who your train operator is, or if you'd like to find out more general information, visit National Rail Enquiries for more details. 

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: “We understand the disruption this strike will cause and apologise to passengers for the impact on their journeys.

“Our industry has been deeply affected by the pandemic, with passenger numbers still at only 75% of pre-covid levels. We must modernise to put our railway on a sound financial footing for the future and reduce the burden on taxpayers.

“We are working hard to run as many trains as possible on strike days for our passengers and freight customers to keep as many people moving as we possibly can.”