As the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is in full swing, train strikes are set to cause travel disruption to many.
Throughout August, a number of train strikes are set to disrupt travel to and from Edinburgh and the rest of the UK as members of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) and Aslef have organised strikes following a dispute over pay, working conditions and job security.
ScotRail staff are not taking part in the strike action, but Network Rail staff are who RMT members include signallers who provide crucial roles. Without signallers, trains simply can't run. In July, RMT staff took part in a three-day strike and only five services ran in the central belt.
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The next wave of strike action is planned for this weekend, impacting trains to and from Edinburgh and travellers are being told to expect disruption on the days surrounding. ScotRail have also warned that trains are likely to be busier due to strike action involving other train providers.
Here's all you need to know about the train strikes in August.
What trains are affected in Edinburgh?
Nine companies in total are taking part in the strike on August 13 with LNER warning of disruption to and from Edinburgh amid the Festival Fringe.
LNER said: "When you're travelling on our trains between Friday 12 and Sunday 14 August and Wednesday 17 and Sunday 21 August, some services may be different, including timetables and catering onboard."
There will be no LNER services North of Edinburgh on this day.
The first train to London's King Cross from Edinburgh will leave at 7.30am with the last one running at 4.30am.
Cross Country have taken to Twitter to confirm that no trains will be running to or from Edinburgh or across the rest of the UK.
In a statement they say: "Due to strike action by ASLEF on Saturday August 13, there will be no CrossCountry services running. Please seek alternative means of travel.
"We’re sorry for the inconvenience."
ScotRail have reminded companies that ScotRail services are not affected on August 13.
They said: "ScotRail services aren't directly affected by the ASLEF strike on the August 13. However, our services may be busier than normal due to customers from other train operators travelling on our services instead."
The following train companies are affected by the strikes.
- Avanti West Coast
- CrossCountry
- Greater Anglia
- Great Western Railway
- Hull Trains
- LNER
- London Overground
- Southeastern
- West Midlands Trains
What to expect from strikes on August 18 and 20
On August 18 and 20, 40,000 RMT members are expected to strike and commuters have been warned expect disruption on dates surrounding too as signal boxes open up at different times of the day.
In July, RMT members took part on a three-day strike, brining trains north of the central belt to a halt. Only five. services ran through the central belt, leaving the rest of Scotland without. This is expected this will be the case again but ScotRail have yet to finalise the timetable.
In a statement, ScotRail said: "RMT announced further national strike action across the Great Britain railway network in a separate dispute with Network Rail and other train operating companies.
"This means Network Rail members of the RMT will be striking on 18 and 20 August.
"While this is a separate dispute, the planned strikes on those days will cause disruption to ScotRail services, as Network Rail Scotland signallers and maintenance staff, who are in safety-critical roles, will be on strike.
"At the moment, we're working through our timetable plans for the strike days and what this means for ScotRail services."
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