‘What a mess’: Rail passengers blast ‘disgraceful’ end of Christmas Eve train services as strike kicks in with many forced on to replacement buses and taxis in desperate scramble to get home in time to spend festive period with loved ones
- RMT union members began next period of strikes over pay on Christmas Eve
- Passengers were forced to find other ways of getting back in time for the big day
- Around 16.6 million were expected to travel across the country on Christmas Eve
Rail passengers have blasted ‘disgraceful’ train companies whose strike action over pay plunged thousands of peoples Christmas plans into jeopardy.
One told Twitter they were told to get off the train and was forced to get a coach for a 200 while others complained about getting expensive taxis.
It comes amid RMT strikes that have plagued the rail network since the beginning of the month.
Trains stopped running at around 3pm on Christmas Eve in most locations.
Passengers took to Twitter to slam rail companies, whose trains were often delayed or cancelled with little notice.
The railway network will not reopen until 6am on December 27 as another national walkout gets under way in a bitter dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.
Passengers trying to get home for Christmas on December 24 were left furious as they faced disruption due to rail workers’ strike over pay and terms. Pictured: People board a train at Euston station
Services on Christmas Eve were limited and began to wind down in the afternoon. Pictured: Grand Central Station in Birmingham
The AA warned that Friday 23 December was the busiest day on the roads this week, with an estimated 16.9 journeys across the UK.
A further 16.6 million were expected to travel today, on Christmas Eve.
Examples of last train departure times include 10.45am from Leeds to London, 11am from London to Edinburgh and 12.48pm from London to Manchester.
One passenger said their train to Glasgow was halted at Crewe station, with travellers advised to take a coach for the rest of the 200 mile journey.
Another passenger trying to get to their rural home for Christmas said little updates were provided by a service provider after their train was cancelled.
Passengers took to Twitter after their trains were either delayed or cancelled on Christmas Eve
Strike action by the RMT began on Saturday and lasts until 6am on December 27.
East Midlands Railway will only ran an ‘extremely limited service’ between London St Pancras and Corby, with no trains on routes such as London St Pancras-Sheffield and London St Pancras-Nottingham.
No South Western Railway trains ran on several routes to and from London Waterloo, including Reading, Twickenham and Dorking.
Travellers at Euston train station in London on Friday 23 December at the start of the Christmas getaway
Chiltern Railways did not operate any trains to or from Oxford, or north of Banbury.
No trains operate on Britain’s railways on Christmas Day.
The normal limited Boxing Day schedule has been scrapped due to the strike, while services will start later than usual on December 27.
Workers at the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, at Network Rail and 14 train operators are planning to strike on January 3, 4, 6 and 7, meaning services are set to be crippled for a week.
Members of the drivers’ union Aslef at 15 train companies will also walk out on Thursday January 5 after voting overwhelmingly for more industrial action in the long-running dispute over pay.
The companies affected by the Aslef strike are Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway (depot drivers only), SWR Island Line, TransPennine Express, and West Midlands Trains.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), pictured outside Euston Station on December 13, went on strike on Christmas Eve and will continue action until December 27
An overtime ban, announced by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union, is currently in force until January 2.
The ban – which has instructed union members not to work more than their contracted hours – is hugely disruptive because the industry is heavily reliant on staff to work overtime, while in turn helping workers by topping up their wages.
This, combined with planned engineering works, has caused widespread chaos across the rail network by creating bottlenecks in depots and staff shortages of dispatchers and shunters meaning services cannot run safely.
Millions of workers are avoiding travel and are opting to work from home until the New Year after Network Rail warned there will be significantly reduced services until January 8.
The next few weeks resembles an advent calendar of industrial action, with workers across many other industries including nurses, Border Force staff and postal workers.