Rail and airport strikes are set to cause significant disruption for people travelling into and out of Wales over the festive period and in the new year. Train passengers should prepare for disruption across the Wales and Borders network during December and January, Transport For Wales (TfW) has said.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) has announced strike action will take place on December 13 to 14, 16 to 17, and 24 to 27 as well as January 3 to 4 and 6 to 7. TfW said it is not involved in the industrial action resulting from the dispute between unions and Network Rail but it's warned it will be unable to operate rail services on Network Rail infrastructure during the strikes.
It's also said it will be carrying out engineering works over the festive period and new year which means some lines will be closed and bus replacements will be available instead. Passengers should also be aware some bus operators in Wales will be operating on a reduced timetable over the Christmas period.
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Meanwhile around 1,000 Border Force staff at six airports across the UK – including Cardiff – will stage walkouts for eight days in December. Here are all the details you need to know about how your train, plane, and bus journeys will be affected over the festive period and new year.
Rail
What Transport for Wales train journeys will be affected?
From December 13 to 14 and 16 to 17 and January 3 to 4 and 6 to 7 only services in and around Cardiff will be able to operate, TfW has said. "The majority of services across the Wales and Borders network will be suspended. As on previous strike days an hourly service will run between Cardiff and Newport, Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhymey. No other services across the Wales and Borders network will be able to operate on strike days," the transport authority said in a statement.
It added that on December 15 and January 5 a full timetable will operate but services will start later than normal – night shift signalling shifts will be affected by the strikes so services can only start when early shift signallers arrive for duty. Visit TfW's website for more information.
As for December 24 to 27 TfW said services will finish earlier than normal on December 24 and start later on December 27 due to the industrial action. There are no services on December 25 and 26.
Jan Chaudhry-Van der Velde, TfW chief operations officer, said: “The Christmas and New Year period is traditionally a very busy time for the rail industry and this year with a number of strike days taking place throughout December and January it’s vital passengers check for the latest information before making their journeys. We are continuing to advise people to only travel by rail on strike days if they have checked on journey planners first. Despite not being involved in the strikes only around 10% of our services will be running and the majority of the Wales and Borders network will have no services at all.”
What about Great Western Railway (GWR)?
Great Western will be operating to and from Cardiff on December 13, 14, and 16 and January 3, 4, and 6, but not on December 17 or January 7, it has been confirmed. Its services will not be running on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. From December 27 to 31 GWR trains between London and south Wales will run but will be diverted between Swindon and Newport – extending journey times by around 25 minutes.
There will be an hourly GWR service operating between London Paddington and Swansea. These trains will stop additionally at Patchway and there are also shuttle buses planned between Patchway and Bristol Parkway. Visit GWR's website for more information
Planned engineering work
With lower numbers of travellers expected over the Christmas period TfW said it was taking the opportunity to carry out infrastructure work. The railway line from Cardiff Bay to Pontypridd, Merthyr Tydfil, and Treherbert, including the City Line, will close to trains between December 24 and 31.
The railway lines from Pontypridd to Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare will also be closed from January 2 to 24 next year. During these closures bus replacement services will be in operation and TfW has urged passengers to check before they travel on their website.
The transport authority also said Network Rail will be carrying out engineering works between Swansea and Carmarthen between December 24 and 4am on December 27 when trains are not scheduled to run. It added that further engineering works between the two locations is planned to take place between December 31 and January 2 with buses replacing trains.
Buses
Some bus operators across Wales on reduced timetables and with early finishes on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and on other days over the festive period with some services closing on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as well as New Year’s Day. You can get an overview of travel arrangements from public transport operators on the Traveline Cymru Christmas and New Year Travel Information page or by calling the Traveline Cymru customer service freephone line on 0800 464 0000. The helpline will be available daily over the festive period apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day and operating with reduced hours on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. If you travel regularly on the Traws Cymru services, you can view Christmas timetables here.
Air
Border Force workers at Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, and Cardiff airports will strike from December 23 to December 26 and from December 28 to December 31, the Public and Commercial Services union has announced. As the staff involved work at passport control the walkouts are expected to have a "significant impact", according to PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka. Home secretary Suella Braverman has also said the industrial action will cause "serious disruption" and has warned flyers to "think carefully about their plans because they may well be impacted."
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