Glasgow passengers urged to complete Christmas Eve journeys by lunchtime as pressure mounts on Scotrail

People travelling to and from Glasgow have been urged to plan ahead as train passengers planning Christmas Eve trips are being told to complete journeys as early as lunchtime due to strikes.

Scotrail says that they are still working on plans in the lead-up to Christmas but with the days counting down, there’s been very little update.

Our national train provider admits though that trains will be finishing a lot earlier than usual around Scotland with a big rush to get home for the big day on December 25th anticipated.

Important services like journeys from Glasgow-Edinburgh and Glasgow-Falkirk which carry a level of popularity for the city’s residents are expected to be down to one service per hour though which will increase the pressure on the rail network and indeed the general public in the run-up to Christmas.

Operators are warning passengers that the rail network will shut down early due to a walkout by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail.

The industrial action is from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27. Several operators have issued alerts to passengers warning of disruption as the rush to get home for the big day intensifies.

Services run by train companies are usually exceptionally busy on the afternoon and early evening of Christmas Eve. And Avanti West Coast’s last trains will be as early as 10.40am from Glasgow Central to London Euston

Those planning to travel are being told to book a seat for a specific service and “complete their journeys by lunchtime.”

Passengers have also been told to “only travel if absolutely necessary.”

The RAC said disruption to rail services may lead to an even bigger spike in traffic on Britain’s roads on Christmas Eve as millions of people make getaway journeys.

Information for travelling can be found here.