Passengers planning to travel with CrossCountry trains this Saturday can now proceed with their journeys after a planned strike by the RMT union was suspended.
Strike action called off
Normal train services will now operate on Saturday, December 6th, and on all subsequent Saturdays throughout December. The industrial action, which was set to cause significant disruption, has been cancelled following discussions.
CrossCountry’s Managing Director, Shiona Rolfe, welcomed the news, stating: “We are pleased that RMT has called off planned strike action throughout December, and we look forward to welcoming passengers on board to take them into the festive season.”
Busy services and engineering works
Despite the cancellation of the strike, travellers are advised that services may still be affected. Saturday, December 6th is anticipated to be particularly busy at major stations across the network, including Birmingham New Street, due to a combination of Christmas events and scheduled engineering works.
Rolfe added a note of caution: “We aim to run our normal timetable on Saturday, but the short time available to reinstate services means there may be some short-notice cancellations.”
A key alteration involves CrossCountry services between Derby and destinations in the North East and Scotland, which will be extended by up to an hour. This is due to engineering work taking place in the Chesterfield area.
Background to the dispute
The RMT union had originally planned the strike action after accusing CrossCountry of failing to address long-running disputes over pay, staffing levels, and previously agreed commitments.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey had argued that the company had not dealt with core issues, stating: “Our members are still facing unresolved staffing shortages, unfair pay outcomes and broken commitments.” The union claimed CrossCountry had failed to honour agreements on overtime payments and wage discrepancies.
With the strike now suspended, the focus for passengers shifts to planning their journeys. CrossCountry’s final advice is clear: “Engineering work on parts of the network will still mean some changes to journeys – if you’re planning to travel, please check your journey before setting off.”
