Network Rail has warned that passenger trains will be finishing at 3pm on Christmas Eve this year because of the rail strikes. The industrial action will also mean that long distance departures between major cities will be leaving in the morning with none later in the day.
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The full timetables showing last trains around Christmas will be released on Tuesday but already senior rail staff have stated that schedules will be severely impacted, despite The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) stating they would not target the festive period, as per The Guardian.
Last Trains
We know that the last train from Edinburgh to London will leave at 8am on Christmas Eve and also from Manchester to London at 12.15pm. Trains between Manchester and Liverpool will also be finishing early with the last one at around 2pm. There will be no trains between London and Nottingham or Sheffield on Christmas Eve.
Commenting on the strike, Andrew Haines, the Network Rail chief executive, said, as per The Guardian:
RMT suggestions that their planned strike action over the festive period is not targeting Christmas would be laughable were the consequences not so painful to so many people, including on Christmas Eve.
The RMT is causing needless misery to its own members, to the railway and to the country’s economy. I am so sorry that our passengers are having to bear the brunt of the RMT’s needless strike when a fair offer is on the table and when only a third of the workforce have rejected it.
Advised not to travel
Northern Rail has advised passengers it is best not to travel on 24 or 27 December due to strike action. Network Rail had planned £120 million worth of engineering work during this period but now thousands of workers will not be turning up for shifts between 6pm on 24 December and 6am on 27 December.
If you have advance tickets for 24 December these can still be used across the network between the 21 and 29 December. Long-distance travellers can also change their booking or cancel without any additional charges.
An additional four days of rail strikes are scheduled to start on 3 January, as a resolution between the unions and employers continues to be out of reach. Passengers are advised to reduce their travel and check train schedules before leaving.
Sources used:
- The Guardian 'Rail strikes: Christmas Eve passenger trains to end by 3pm, says Network Rail'
