Rail customers urged to avoid travel this Sunday ahead of fifth RMT strike
Major disruption is set to impact TransPennine Express (TPE) services across the North and into Scotland again this Sunday with a further strike planned by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.
An amended timetable will be in place and the train company will only be able to operate a limited number of trains on this date.
Anyone planning on using TPE services on Sunday 13 March should avoid travel and plan journeys either side of the strike date instead.
Trains that are running will be extremely busy, and customers making an essential journey are strongly urged to plan carefully and check before they travel via the TPE website or National Rail Enquiries. Bikes will not be permitted on-board TPE trains on Sunday.
This will be the fifth day of action taken by the rail union, with further strikes planned on Sundays 20, 27 and 3 April and on the weekends of 16 and 17 April, 30 April and 1 May and 4 and 5 June, causing further, extended disruption to people’s journeys.
Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director for TransPennine Express said: “Strikes by the RMT continue to cause huge disruption to our customers at a time when people are continuing to return to rail and make plans to see loved ones following the impact of the pandemic.
“This Sunday, we will sadly only be able to operate a very limited service for customers and are recommending people avoid travel and instead, travel either side of the strike day.”
Further information on the strikes can be found at tpexpress.co.uk.
Ticket acceptance is in place with several other train operators this Sunday and TPE tickets will be accepted on Northern, Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Lumo, LNER (between York and Edinburgh), ScotRail, Hull Trains (between Hull-Brough/Doncaster only) and Transport for Wales services. Ticket acceptance is also in place for FirstBus services in West Yorkshire and for Coastliner buses between York and Scarborough for customers who may need to use a bus service to complete a rail journey. Some exclusions will apply and full details are available online.