Because of industrial action by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), CrossCountry services will be much-reduced over the Bank Holiday weekend, with no services on Saturday, 23rd and the possibility of cancellations on Sunday, 24th August, on all CrossCountry routes.
Passengers who wish to travel on Saturday, 23rd August, should travel before or after the Bank Holiday weekend, or claim a full refund.
CrossCountry staff who are union members, including Train Managers and Senior Conductors, will not work on both days. Although some managers may be available to help provide a limited service on Monday, 25th August, the number of managers available to work on the Saturday has been reduced because it is a bank holiday weekend.
On Monday, 25th August, a very limited service will operate between 0800 and 1800, with no CrossCountry services between Birmingham, Reading, and the South Coast, no services between Leicester, Cambridge, and Stansted Airport, and only a very limited service to the South West and north of York. All services are expected to be busy, and passengers should check their journeys carefully before departing. Specific journey details will be available on the CrossCountry website from early next week.
Because of planned engineering work in the West Midlands on Monday, 25th August, any CrossCountry services that do run may be disrupted or suffer longer journey times.
Anyone intending to travel over the August Bank Holiday weekend should check their journey details beforehand with National Rail Enquiries or on the CrossCountry website at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-information/disruption/industrial-action.
The same link can be used for information on delay repay and alternative travel options.
This strike follows similar action by the RMT in 2024 and in June this year.
“We are disappointed for our passengers that the RMT has announced strikes on Saturday 23 and Monday 25 August. It is hugely disappointing to not operate any services on Saturday, knowing the inevitable disruption to many of our passengers’ journeys over the Bank Holiday weekend. We are committed to reaching an agreement with the RMT and remain available to continue talks.”
Shiona Rolfe, CrossCountry’s Managing Director
Responses
If your company doesn’t want to talk to you about pay terms and conditions and offers redundancy without any consultation what would you do
The RMT are so stupid, instead of getting the public on their side to protest against the threatened 5.5% fare increase in 2026, they chose to strike and on a bank holiday too. They and ASLEF are stuck in the 1970s way of thinking, they need to get in the 21st Century and realise the damage strikes have done to the rail industry in the past.