Rail strike: All the ScotRail services running during the RMT strike on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday with Edinburgh-Glasgow skeleton service and no trains north of Central Belt

Rail services across Scotland are being slashed during the planned RMT action on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
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In all 90 per cent of services are being cut with no trains at all north of the Central Belt and very limited services elsewhere.

What is the rail strike about?

The RMT has announced three days of national strike action across the UK rail network in a pay dispute with Network Rail and other train operating companies.

Services are being slashed due to the strikeServices are being slashed due to the strike
Services are being slashed due to the strike
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While it does not involve ScotRail, the planned strikes on those three days will cause disruption to ScotRail services, as Network Rail Scotland signallers and maintenance staff, who are in safety-critical roles, will be on strike.

On the days following strike action - 22, 24, and 26 June - there will also be disruption across the network by the reopening of signal boxes at different times across the day.

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The disruption caused by strike action will impact people travelling to events such as The Eagles at Murrayfield on Wednesday, Colourbox Festival at Bellahouston Park on Saturday, and Liam Gallacher at Hampden Park on Sunday.

Which services are running in Scotland?

On the days of strike action, ScotRail will only operate services on five routes across Scotland between the hours 07.30 and 18.30. These routes are:

Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High: two trains per hour

Edinburgh – Bathgate: two trains per hour

Glasgow – Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour

Glasgow – Lanark: two trains per hour

Edinburgh – Glasgow via Shotts: one train per hour

What has ScotRail said?

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ScotRail says Network Rail will be unable to open any other signal boxes to operate passenger services on any other routes on the strike days.Final services on the five operational routes will depart well before 18.30, so customers should plan ahead to ensure they know when their last train will run. Train times on the five available routes can be view on the ScotRail website

David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said:“It is very unfortunate to see such widespread disruption across the whole of the Great Britain rail network and we know this will be frustrating for ScotRail customers.“Regrettably, this strike action by RMT members of Network Rail means that we will not be able to operate the vast majority of our services during the period of strike action.“We’re reminding customers to expect significant disruption to services this week, including on the days between, and following, strike action which will impact customers travelling to events across the country.“On the five routes where we are able to operate a very limited service on strike days, we’re urging customers to only travel if they really need to, and to seek alternative means of transport where possible.”

Nick King, a spokesman for Network Rail in Scotland, said a modernised railway could improve its pay offer for staff by passing on savings.

He told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “We do feel that, with a bit of compromise, we could get this dispute resolved, and we could get trains back on the move.”

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He said the strike could be resolved if the union moved its position on working practices and any reduction in staff would take place on a voluntary basis.

Mr King said: “The dispute is not going to be solved through strike action. It’s not going to be solved on a picket line.

“It’s going to be solved by negotiations in a room, and negotiations have been taking place for 18 months now on this issue.

“We feel that there are clear ways in which we could modernise and change the way we currently operate and that would then enable us to free up savings that we could then use to fund a pay rise.”

What have RMT said?

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Gordon Martin, RMT regional organiser for Scotland, said the strike is the last resort for members and said they were looking for a “meaningful offer” to resolve the dispute.

He told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “This is not the first option, this is the last resort for our members.”

Mr Martin added: “It’s a fight that we didn’t want, this is a defensive action by this trade union but it will be ’til we get a reasonable settlement and the members have made that abundantly clear to me and others.

“This is a defensive measure by our members in defence of their jobs, their terms and conditions and, I would argue, the safety of the rail industry.”