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RMT strike will cancel the vast majority of train services across Scotland for two days, customers are warned

Posted: 20th May 2015

ScotRail has confirmed that the majority of its train services will be unable to operate next Monday and Tuesday if proposed UK-wide industrial action by RMT members goes ahead.

While final details of amended timetables will not be confirmed until later this week, in order to give customers as much time as possible to make alternative arrangements, ScotRail today released early details of the services it anticipates it will be able to run in Scotland on 25 May and 26 May:

MONDAY 25 MAY ONLY

Glasgow Central – Paisley Gilmour Street
Glasgow Central – Neilston via Queens Park
Glasgow Central – Newton via Maxwell Park

MONDAY 25 & TUESDAY 26 MAY
Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High
Edinburgh – Kirkcaldy – Glenrothes
Edinburgh – Cowdenbeath – Glenrothes
Glasgow Central – East Kilbride
Glasgow Queen St (High Level) – Anniesland
Glasgow Queen St (Low Level) – Cumbernauld

The above services are likely to run on a reduced basis and will operate largely between 07:15 and 17:45 hrs on the days listed. All other services will be cancelled all day Monday and Tuesday.

ScotRail has launched a dedicated web page www.scotrail.co.uk/strike where they will be posting timetables for the routes that will be running during the strike.

Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, said:

“If this UK-wide industrial action goes ahead as planned, the impact on customers is going to be severe. For the vast majority of people in Scotland, there will be no train service at all on these two days.

“We will only be able to run a handful of services, and those that we are able to run will operate on a reduced service. Those services will be much busier than usual, so if customers are able to make other arrangements, I would kindly ask them to please do so.

“We have released this information early because it is our priority to make sure that our customers have enough time to make decisions about their journey.

“We have been in contact with employers and business organisations to let them know about the impact of the strike. We are also in touch with local authorities, the NHS and other public bodies to make sure that they are fully aware of what is happening.

“I am disappointed that our customers have to experience this level of disruption. We are doing everything we can to safely run as many services as is possible under the circumstances.

“I am asking customers to please take action now and to make alternative travel arrangements for Monday and Tuesday. Visit our special web page daily during the run up to the strike and use our JourneyCheck alert service, or the ScotRail app from Saturday onwards to make sure you have the most up to date information about your journey.

“I know that many people right across the country are going to be seriously inconvenienced by this UK-wide industrial action. I am genuinely sorry that, under these circumstances, we cannot run our normal levels of train services that our customers expect. I hope that by releasing the information early, we are giving customers and employers enough time to plan ahead and make other plans.”

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Business Comment is the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce’s bi-monthly magazine. It provides insight on Edinburgh’s vibrant business community, with features on the city’s key sectors, interviews with leading figures and news on new business developments in the capital.
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