Passengers planning to use train services on Christmas Eve have been warned to travel only if 'absolutely necessary' as another round of rail strikes begin.
A walkout by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail means Britain’s railways will shut down early, and some routes will have no trains all day. There is usually high demand for services on the afternoon and early evening of Christmas Eve as people travel to spend the festive period with loved ones.
When the RMT announced the strike – which will take place from 6pm on Saturday until 6am on December 27 – the union claimed it would 'only affect engineering work and not train services.' But Network Rail said trains will stop running at around 3pm on Christmas Eve.
The early closure means the last departures on some long-distance routes will be before 1pm. Examples of last train times include 10.45am for Leeds to London, 11am for London to Edinburgh and 12.48pm for London to Manchester.
The disruption is expected to cause more congestion on the roads as people switch to other forms of transport for their Christmas getaway journeys.
No trains operate on Britain’s railways on Christmas Day and the normal limited Boxing Day schedule has been scrapped due to the strike, while services will start later than usual on December 27.
Some train companies have warned customers not to travel at all. Northern Rail said: "There will be very limited services on 24 and 27 December- we advise customers do not travel on these days. There will be no services 25 & 26 December."
Avanti West Coast said in a statement: "We strongly advise you to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary on strike days. If your journey is essential, please plan ahead as your entire journey will likely be severely disrupted. Our revised timetables for 24 December and 3 to 7 January are now available to search in online journey planners, and tickets and reservations for these services are now able to be booked.
"The timetable for 27 December will be correct in online journey planners from 23 December. We strongly advise you to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary on strike days."
Meanwhile TransPennine Express has advised customers to check their timetable 'caredfully' before travelling. On their website, the rail operator said: "Strike action by RMT at Network Rail, and industrial action short of a strike, will impact TPE’s services during the Christmas period. As a result of strike action between 24 – 27 December, TPE is making some alterations to its timetables. Check your entire journey carefully before travelling on the rail network.
"On Christmas Eve, services will end much earlier than planned and customers are advised only to travel if absolutely essential. Anyone planning to make journeys on Christmas Eve should aim to do so before midday, with final service of the day expected to be no later than 3pm.
"There are no TPE services on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. On Tuesday 27 December services will start later than planned due to the knock-on impact of strike action. Again, customers are advised to check carefully before travelling."
Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines has accused the RMT of causing “needless misery to its own members, to the railway and to the country’s economy”. But the union, which is striking in a bitter row over jobs, pay and conditions, described the Government-owned company’s offer to resolve the dispute as “substandard”.
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