CrossCountry passengers are being urged to plan ahead as the operator faces another day of significant disruption due to strike action by the RMT union on Saturday 1 November. The industrial action, involving customer-facing staff, marks the second planned strike by RMT members at CrossCountry this autumn, following a suspended walkout on 23 October. The strike is expected to cause widespread disruption across the network, with only a limited number of services operating and some routes seeing no trains at all.

Trains that do run are expected to be much busier than usual, and services will finish earlier in the day, prompting warnings for passengers to plan their return journeys carefully. Some stations will also see amended or cancelled stops, with no CrossCountry services calling at Wolverhampton, Worcestershire Parkway, Wakefield Westgate or Chesterfield. Limited stops will also apply at Stockport, Macclesfield, Oxford and Basingstoke. Customers are advised to check journey planners before travelling and consider alternative local or regional services.

Shiona Rolfe, CrossCountry’s Managing Director, said: “We are disappointed for our customers that the RMT is undertaking a second day of planned industrial action this autumn. While we will try to run as many services as possible, customers will inevitably face significant disruption. We are committed to reaching an agreement with the RMT and remain available to continue talks.”

The strike coincides with planned engineering work, adding further challenges to weekend travel. Upgrades between Birmingham and Reading, and between Leeds and Darlington, will also affect CrossCountry services. Full details of revised timetables and travel information are available via the CrossCountry website and National Rail Enquiries.

Image: CrossCountry