CrossCountry warns of Bank Holiday disruption due to RMT strike

CrossCountry passengers are being warned to expect major disruption over the August Bank Holiday weekend as strike action by the RMT union brings services to a standstill on Saturday 23rd August.

The industrial action, involving Train Managers and Senior Conductors, means no CrossCountry trains will run at all on Saturday, and only a very limited service will operate on Monday 25th August.

No Trains Running on Saturday

Passengers are being strongly advised not to travel on Saturday 23rd August. CrossCountry has confirmed it will not be able to run any services that day due to the number of staff involved in the action and the reduced availability of managers to cover the work.

Refunds are available for those affected, or travellers are being asked to rearrange journeys either side of the Bank Holiday weekend.

Sunday and Monday Disruption

While Sunday 24th August is not a strike day, services across all CrossCountry routes are still expected to be hit by cancellations.

On Monday 25th August, a limited timetable will be in place from 8am to 6pm. However, services are expected to be extremely busy and passengers are urged to check their journeys before travelling.

There will be no services between Birmingham, Reading and the South Coast, or between Leicester, Cambridge and Stansted Airport. Only a very limited service will run to the South West and north of York.

Adding to the disruption, planned engineering work in the West Midlands will cause some journeys on Monday to take longer than usual.

“Hugely Disappointing”

Shiona Rolfe, CrossCountry’s Managing Director, said:
“We are disappointed for our passengers that the RMT has announced strikes on Saturday 23 and Monday 25 August. 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.”

Advice for Travellers

CrossCountry is advising all passengers to check the latest travel information before setting off. Updates will be available through National Rail Enquiries or on the CrossCountry website: www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-information/disruption/industrial-action.

Information on delay repay and alternative travel options can also be found at the same link.