A strike by RMT members on Christmas Eve is likely to severely affect train services, and the rail industry is advising people to avoid travel if at all possible.
Although the strike won’t start until 6pm on Christmas Eve, the impact of the train strike means that train trips will generally need to be completed by 3pm. That means for most people travelling out of London, the last journeys could be as early as lunchtime on Christmas Eve.
Last train examples for Saturday 24th December
| From London | To London | |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 1.03pm | 12.33pm |
| Brighton | 1.59pm | 1.39pm |
| Edinburgh | 11.00am | 8.00am |
| Glasgow | 12.22pm | 10.40am |
| Leeds | 12.03pm | 10.45am |
| Liverpool | 12.34pm | 11.43pm |
| Manchester | 12.48pm | 12.15pm |
| Newcastle | 11.00am | 10.22am |
| Norwich | 2.00pm | 1.00pm |
| Nottingham | No trains | No trains |
| Sheffield | No trains | No trains |
Added industrial action means some rail companies will be unable to run any services at all on Christmas Eve.
As Christmas Eve is a Saturday, there’s an expectation that Friday evening (23rd Dec) will be busier than usual, so people travelling would be wise to book tickets in advance, and if possible reserve seats as well.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “I am so sorry that our passengers are having to bear the brunt of the RMT’s needless strike when a fair offer is on the table and when only a third of the workforce have rejected it. Our offer guarantees jobs and gives everyone a decent pay-rise of 9% and more. Two of our three trade unions have already accepted and the RMT needs to think again.”
With most vital RMT staff due to leave their posts at 6pm on 24th December, by then, all trains will have to be off the network and safely stabled ready for start-up on 27th December. Also, hundreds of engineering trains need to be moved into position much earlier than normal before the strike begins resulting in passenger journeys having to have been completed, in most locations, by 3pm.
The RMT strike action also means that the usually limited Boxing Day services won’t run. Strike action continues through to 6am on the 27th December resulting in a later start-up of services, typically around mid-morning.
Christmas is an important time for the railway as it gives them the opportunity to get a lot of work done when trains aren’t running. A £120 million programme of over 300 projects was planned for this Christmas with around 85% of this improvement work still going ahead, despite the RMT strike.
Ticketing arrangements
Customers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets for travel on a strike day can instead use their ticket on an alternative date.
- Tickets for 24 December can instead be used on either the 21, 22, 23 December or up to and including Thursday 29 December.
- Tickets for 26, 27 December can instead be used on 23 December or up to and including Thursday 29 December.
Passengers with Advance tickets can be refunded fee-free if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.
If the Advance ticket is for a train that is scheduled for a strike day, is not cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, but a customer prefers not to travel, they should contact their ticket retailer.
Customers with 2 x Advance tickets (an outbound and a return), to be used as a return journey, may be able to get a fee-free refund or change of journey for any unused legs/tickets, if one (either) of the legs is scheduled for a strike day. Customers should check with their ticket retailer.
Customers with tickets for long-distance operators, particularly where seat reservations are required, can obtain a refund and rebook onto an alternative service. Trains running on days either side of strike days are likely to be extremely busy and a seat cannot be guaranteed. Customers are advised to check with their operator before travelling.
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