ScotRail: these train services will run during the next 3 days of strikes

ScotRail is warning customers to expect significant disruption during the latest round of strike action by RMT members of Network Rail.

The RMT union announced its members at Network Rail will take strike action on November 5 (Saturday), November 7 (Monday), and November 9 (Wednesday) across the railway network resulting from a pay dispute with the track and infrastructure operator.

For ScotRail customers, this means a very limited number of services will operate on a limited number of routes.

The dispute does not involve ScotRail staff, however, it will have a major impact on the train operator’s ability to provide services as the RMT planned action involves Network Rail staff in Scotland.

Many of the Network Rail staff that are due to take part in the planned industrial action occupy safety-critical roles and, as such, it will not be possible for ScotRail to run the vast majority of services.

What train services will be running?

The train operator will run services on 11 routes across the Central Belt, Fife, and the Borders between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

The routes and frequency of service which will be in operation are:

Edinburgh Waverley – Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High: two trains per hour

Edinburgh Waverley – Helensburgh Central: two trains per hour (on 5 November this will operate Edinburgh Waverley - Dalmuir only due to pre-planned engineering works)

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 - 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

Disruption to ScotRail services will not be confined to the days of strike action and will also impact the day following each day of action – 6 November (Sunday), 8 November (Tuesday) and, 10 November (Thursday).

On the days following strike action, there will be disruption caused by the reopening of signal boxes at different times across the country. Signal boxes are key pieces of Network Rail infrastructure located across the rail network that control train movements. Their use is critical to ensure that the railway can operate safely.

While large signalling centres in the Central Belt will be able to operate from 7.15am, this will not be the case at manual boxes elsewhere and it may well be much later before many routes are able to operate as normal. This is particularly the case for routes beyond the Central Belt.

What is ScotRail saying?

David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “Once again, it’s really disappointing to see the dispute between Network Rail and the RMT result in more widespread disruption across the whole Great Britain rail network at a time when we need to be encouraging more people back to the railway.

“For ScotRail, it’s going to mean that we won’t be able to operate the vast majority of our services, which we know will be really frustrating for our customers.

“ScotRail customers should expect significant disruption to services on strike days, as well as on the days after industrial action.

“We’re advising customers to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel if you really need to on the days of strike action. Customers should check your journey in advance to make sure your train is running if you’re travelling on one of the days following strike action.”