ScotRail has confirmed more misery for travellers across the north and north-east with no trains due to run between Aberdeen and Inverness next week during Network Rail strikes.
The RMT union has today announced that workers would conduct three days of strike beginning on Tuesday, June 21.
Workers also plan to strike on Thursday, June 23 and Saturday, June 25.
Maintenance staff and signal controllers are due to strike, which will risk the daily operations of services across the national network.
For three days every service across the Highlands, Moray and Aberdeenshire will be cancelled, expected to cause widespread travel disruption.
The decision has been described as as “calamity”, with warnings it will hit the start of tourism season.
ScotRail confirmed only five routes would operate on a reduced basis between Glasgow and Edinburgh from 7.30am to 6.30pm on the affected days.
⚠️ Network Rail members of the RMT union will be striking on 21, 23 & 25 June:
Our services will be affected and we expect the impact to be significant with a limited service operating, if at all.
We'll share more info when we have it. https://t.co/75j3IQMciC
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) June 14, 2022
It means no services will run between Aberdeen and Inverness, nor from either city down south to the Central Belt.
David Simpson, ScotRail’s service delivery director, said: “Regrettably, this strike action by RMT members of Network Rail means that we will not be able to operate the vast majority of our services during the period of strike action.
“Customers should expect significant disruption to services next week, including on the days between strike action.
“On the five routes where we are able to operate a very limited service on strike days, we’re advising customers to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel if they really need to.”
What ScotRail services will run?
- Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh – Bathgate: two trains per hour
- Glasgow – Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
- Glasgow – Lanark: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh – Glasgow via Shotts: one train per hour
No train services north of Central Belt
Effectively, no trains will operate north of Central Scotland due to no staff being able to operate the signal boxes.
RMT balloted its members across 15 rail companies and Network Rail, with members voting in favour of strike action.
While ScotRail was not one of those companies the train operator is reliant on Network Rail to operate railway infrastructure in Scotland.
Highlands and Islands MSP and shadow business and tourism minister Jamie Halcro Johnston described it as a “real calamity”.
The Conservative MSP said: “These strikes threaten to cut-off the north of Scotland at a time when we are already seeing reduced rail services hit our region hard.
“With confirmation from Scotrail that they will be running none of their services at all into or within the Highlands on the affected days, we are facing a real calamity in our transport network.
“This will severely disrupt the lives of those who use our railways to get to work, to travel or to reach vital appointments. And there is likely to be considerable knock-on disruption to services on the days around the strikes too.”
‘Irresponsible’
He warned the strikes would have an “enormous impact” on the start of the tourist season.
“This action by the RMT is irresponsible, particularly in areas like ours where connectivity is so important and where travellers will be left with no other option but to drive, despite high fuel costs.
“While there will still be some services running across the Central Belt, the network in the Highlands and Islands will be shut down for 3 days and that is unacceptable.”
News of the strike comes just a week after ScotRail resolved its own dispute with driver’s union Aslef, forcing the newly state-owned operator to cut 700 daily services across its network.
To find out how strike action by RMT members will impact your journey, visit the ScotRail website.
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