Rail passengers have been warned to prepare for "significantly disrupted" travel into the New Year amid a wave of industrial unrest sweeping across the country.
The Network Rail warning came as members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) at CrossCountry staged a 24-hour strike from 9pm on Boxing Day as part of a long-running campaign for a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions, and a pay increase which addresses the rising cost of living.
Network Rail have urged people to plan ahead and check before they depart as "industrial action means rail travel will be significantly disrupted throughout December and January". The 48-hour strike called by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) in a separate dispute over jobs, pay and conditions which began on Christmas Eve runs to Tuesday at 6am.
