Rail passengers face disruption this bank holiday weekend as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at CrossCountry go on strike over pay and conditions. The industrial action will affect services on Saturday 23 August and bank holiday Monday, coinciding with a period when transport networks are expected to be busy with holidaymakers.
CrossCountry, which operates services centred around Birmingham and running from Aberdeen to Cornwall, said it would run no services on Saturday and a reduced timetable on Monday. On Sunday, cancellations are expected across all routes. The company advised passengers not to travel on Saturday, suggesting they travel on either side of the weekend or claim a full refund.
A “very limited” service will operate on Monday between 8am and 6pm, with passengers urged to check their journeys before departing. There will be no service between Birmingham, Reading and the south coast, nor between Leicester, Cambridge and Stansted airport. Only very limited services will run to south-west England and north of York. Planned engineering work in the West Midlands is also expected to cause longer journey times.
Shiona Rolfe, managing director of CrossCountry, said: “It is hugely disappointing to not operate any services on Saturday, knowing the inevitable disruption to many of our passengers’ journeys over the bank holiday weekend. We are committed to reaching an agreement with the RMT and remain available to continue talks.” An RMT spokesperson said members had voted strongly in favour of industrial action and that the union was seeking further talks for a negotiated settlement.
In response to the strikes, coach operator National Express is adding 9,000 extra seats on intercity routes including Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham. Meanwhile, motorists have been warned of long delays on the roads, with 18 million car journeys expected. The RAC advised travellers to set off as early as possible, with heaviest congestion predicted in the south-east and south-west of England, and delays on the M20 in Kent for cross-Channel travellers.
