ScotRail warns customers as disruption for latest RMT Network Rail strike action set to halt train services in the Highlands
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TRAIN commuters across the Highlands are being warned to check on their travel plans as the latest strike action will see major disruption affecting services in the region next week.
ScotRail is warning customers to expect significant disruption during the latest round of strike action by RMT members of Network Rail.
The RMT union announced its members at Network Rail will take strike action between Tuesday, January 3 and Saturday, January 7 – with the exception of Thursday, January 5 – across the Great Britain railway network resulting from a pay dispute with the track and infrastructure operator.
On strike days, this means ScotRail will run no services in the Highlands and only 12 routes across the central belt, Fife, and the Borders will be operating between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “It’s really disappointing to see more widespread 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, it’s going to mean that we won’t be able to operate the vast majority of our services between 3 and 7 January, which we know will be really frustrating for our customers.
“We’re advising customers to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel if they really need to on the days of strike action.
“Customers should check their journey in advance to make sure your train is running.”
The dispute does not involve ScotRail staff, however, it will have a major impact on the train operator’s ability to provide services in Scotland and the rest of te UK.
Due to the greater reliance on manual signalling outside the Central Belt, Network Rail is unable to facilitate passenger services on any other routes on the strike days. Signal boxes are key pieces of Network Rail infrastructure located across the rail network that control train movements. Their use is critical to ensure that the railway can operate safely.
On the non-strike day Thursday, 5 January, the same limited timetable will be in operation. It is hoped that some additional routes can be added, but customers should check the website and journey planner for details before they travel.
Customers are advised to check ScotRail's website and app for the latst updates and visit www.scotrail.co.uk/strike for more information.
