CrossCountry train passengers face significant disruption on Saturday as RMT union members in customer service roles walk out in the first of four planned December strikes. The industrial action affects all CrossCountry routes during the busy Christmas period, with services between Glasgow and Edinburgh cancelled entirely.
Eight CrossCountry services will be completely cancelled on December 6. Routes between Bristol, Plymouth and Penzance will see no services, along with Bournemouth and Reading, Newton Abbot and Paignton, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, Derby and Nottingham, Birmingham to Stansted Airport via Leicester, Peterborough and Cambridge, and Cheltenham Spa and Cardiff.
Limited services will run between Birmingham and Manchester, Birmingham and Reading, Birmingham and Bristol, and Birmingham and Derby. Very limited services will operate between Derby, Leeds and Edinburgh. Trains will be much busier than usual and finish significantly earlier in the day. Some calling patterns will change, affecting stations including Stockport, Macclesfield, Wolverhampton, Birmingham International, Coventry, Oxford and Basingstoke.
Dispute Over Pay and Staffing
The strike stems from unresolved issues over staffing shortages, pay outcomes and broken commitments, according to the RMT. CrossCountry states it has made a fair and reasonable offer addressing key dispute points.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey previously said: «Crosscountry has not dealt with the core issues in this dispute and has come back with a proposal that is worse than what was already on the table. Our members are still facing unresolved staffing shortages, unfair pay outcomes and broken commitments. RMT members have been left with no choice but to take strike action. The company must return with a serious offer that meets the commitments it has already made and treats our members with the fairness and respect they deserve.»
CrossCountry's Managing Director Shiona Rolfe said in a statement: «We are disappointed that the RMT has announced more industrial action that will disrupt customers over the busy Christmas period.» She added: «Our priority is now minimising disruption for those travelling on Saturdays in December – but while we will try to run as many services as possible, there will inevitably be significant disruption.»
Further Strikes Planned
Additional strikes are scheduled for Saturday December 13, Saturday December 20 and Saturday December 27. The timing coincides with Christmas markets across the country, other events and football matches. Further details regarding these strikes will be shared in the coming days.
Passengers are advised to plan journeys carefully and check National Rail Enquiries or the CrossCountry website and app for updates on delay repay and alternative travel options. Planned engineering work may also lengthen some journeys.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
