Now rail strikes will wreck your weekend too, as big events hit
RAIL chiefs fear today’s strike could hit hard as people attend major events such as musical theatre shows and Liam Gallagher’s gig at Hampden.
Industry sources said there is a ‘nervousness’ that people with longstanding plans will ignore advice to ‘only travel by train if necessary’.
Only 11 per cent of ScotRail’s current reduced timetable will operate today as 40,000 RMT members hit the picket lines in another day of mayhem.
It is feared passengers will face chaos as they try to get to and from a bumper weekend of events, including the Royal Show in Edinburgh.
Meanwhile, fans attending Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro’s gig at the Royal Highland Centre in the capital today will be left without rail travel after the concert, as lines will not be operating after 6.30pm.
Other events taking place this weekend include performances of The Lion King at Edinburgh Playhouse, a concert by Dr Hook at Kelvingrove Bandstand in Glasgow, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the
Kings Theatre, Glasgow. The strikes also threaten disruption for 5,000 people expected at Edinburgh’s Pride march today.
The mayhem is expected to carry on into tomorrow.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail head of customer operations, said: ‘We’ll be doing what we can to help Liam Gallagher fans travel to Hampden Park on Sunday, but customers should plan ahead as services will be impacted by Saturday’s NetHighland work Rail RMT strike action, engineering work near Haymarket and Barrhead, and by the temporary timetable we have in place.’
Steve Montgomery, who chairs the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said: ‘While we are doing our best to minimise disruption to passengers, our advice is to only travel if it is necessary, and if you are going to travel, please plan ahead.’
This week’s strikes are estimated to have cost the rail industry up to £150million in lost revenue and the consequences of aborting planned upgrade work.
Newly nationalised operator ScotRail is able to run only two trains per hour today on the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High line, on the Edinburgh-Bathgate route, the Glasgow to Hamilton/ Larkhall service, and on the Glasgow to Lanark line.
There will be one train an hour on the Edinburgh to Glasgow service via Shotts, with services on the five lines only operating between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
No trains will run on any other ScotRail routes as a result of the action by Network Rail staff, who are responsible for train lines and infrastructure across the UK.
Avanti West Coast, which runs services between Glasgow and London Euston, said it would run about a third of services today.
It is feared hospitality businesses in Scotland could lose £50million as a result of the dispute.
The RMT has a mandate to call strikes for six months and could announce a new round of walkouts in the coming days.
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association said prolonged industrial action could have an impact on events in July and August such as TRNSMT in Glasgow and Edinburgh’s festivals.
Talks between the RMT, Network Rail and 13 train operating companies covering most of the country continued yesterday.
Sources said both sides were ‘inching closer’ to a deal but the RMT was digging its heels in over Network Rail demands for working practices to be modernised.