Strike Will Cause Misery for Rail Users

ScotRail has confirmed that the majority of its train services will be unable to operate next Monday and Tuesday if proposed UK-wide industrial action by RMT members goes ahead.

While final details of amended timetables will not be confirmed until later this week, ScotRail today released early details of the services it anticipates it will be able to run in Scotland on 25 May and 26 May at a reduced timetable.

ScotRail has launched a dedicated web page www.scotrail.co.uk/strike where they will be posting timetables for the routes that will be running during the strike.

Trains will run between Glasgow Central and Paisley Gilmour Street, Neilston via Queens Park and Newton via Maxwell Park on Monday only.

Trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High, Kirkaldy and Glenrothes and Cowdenbeath; Glasgow Central to East Kilbride and Glasgow Queen Street to Anniesland and Cumbernauld will run on Monday and Tuesday.

The services are likely to run on a reduced basis and will operate largely between 07:15 and 17:45. All other services will be cancelled all day Monday and Tuesday. Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, said: “If this UK-wide industrial action goes ahead as planned, the impact on customers is going to be severe. For the vast majority of people in Scotland, there will be no train service at all on these two days. “We will only be able to run a handful of services, and those that we are able to run will operate on a reduced service. Those services will be much busier than usual, so if customers are able to make other arrangements, I would kindly ask them to please do so. “We have released this information early because it is our priority to make sure that our customers have enough time to make decisions about their journey. “We have been in contact with employers and business organisations to let them know about the impact of the strike. We are also in touch with local authorities, the NHS and other public bodies to make sure that they are fully aware of what is happening. “I am disappointed that our customers have to experience this level of disruption. We are doing everything we can to safely run as many services as is possible under the circumstances. “I am asking customers to please take action now and to make alternative travel arrangements for Monday and Tuesday. Visit our special web page daily during the run up to the strike and use our JourneyCheck alert service, or the ScotRail app from Saturday onwards to make sure you have the most up to date information about your journey. “I know that many people right across the country are going to be seriously inconvenienced by this UK-wide industrial action. I am genuinely sorry that, under these circumstances, we cannot run our normal levels of train services that our customers expect. I hope that by releasing the information early, we are giving customers and employers enough time to plan ahead and make other plans.”