Train passengers in Scotland will face further disruption as Network Rail staff resume strike action. The UK-wide industrial action by members of the RMT union took place on Tuesday and Wednesday and continues on Friday and Saturday. ScotRail said a very limited service would run on strike days and schedules would also be disrupted on Sunday. Meanwhile, engineers have fixed the main rail line between Glasgow and Carlisle after it was damaged by floods.
The line will reopen for passenger trains on Friday, but Network Rail has urged customers only to travel if their journey is essential due to services being limited by strike action. About 40,000 Network Rail workers are expected to take part in the nationwide strikes over a pay dispute. Network Rail owns, repairs and develops the railway infrastructure – tracks, bridges, tunnels and signals – and its staff have essential safety roles. ScotRail said the action meant it would not be able to run the vast majority of its services. On strike days the train operator will run services on 12 routes across the central belt, Fife and the Borders between 07:30 and 18:30.
They are:
- Edinburgh Waverley – Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh Waverley – Helensburgh Central: two trains per hour
- Glasgow Central – Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
- Glasgow Central – Lanark: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh Waverley – Glasgow Central via Shotts: one train per hour
- Edinburgh Waverley – Cowdenbeath: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh Waverley – Tweedbank: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh Waverley – North Berwick: one train per hour
- Edinburgh Waverley – Larbert: one train per hour
- Glasgow Queen Street – Larbert: one train per hour
- Glasgow Queen Street – Falkirk Grahamston: one train per hour
- Milngavie – Springburn: two trains per hour
The UK government is planning to introduce anti-strike laws in the current parliamentary session, which would mean unions could be sued if they do not provide minimum levels of fire, ambulance and rail services. The legislation – which would not resolve the current wave of strikes – would apply in England, Scotland and Wales – but not in Northern Ireland. Unions have condemned the proposed restrictions and threatened legal action, while Labour says it would repeal them. Meanwhile, engineering on the West Coast Mainline near Carstairs was completed on Thursday. An embankment under the railway was damaged during heavy rain last week. Network Rail said its engineers had worked round the clock to remove hundreds of tonnes of landslip material along a 40m section of the line. They also reinforced the area with more than 300 tonnes of new stone, re-laid the track above and checked signalling in the area.
A yellow Met Office warning for wind is in place until 10:00 on Friday, impacting the Highlands, parts of Aberdeenshire and Moray, Orkney, Shetland and parts of Argyll and Bute. Network Rail warned high winds could cause disruption on the railways, but said it would monitor conditions closely. Liam Sumpter, the operator’s Scotland route director, said: “Our engineers have worked as quickly as possible to complete these repairs and reopen the railway. “We appreciate the inconvenience the closure of the line has caused and we thank everyone for their understanding during these recovery works.”
Avanti West Coast said a significantly reduced service would operate on Friday and Saturday and urged people travelling to and from Scotland to make their journeys on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday when a full timetable would be operating.
