Practice passengers face chaos subsequent week because of strike motion by rail employees.
Members of the Nationwide Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Employees (RMT) who work for Community Rail are planning to stroll out on three days – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
It has led to ScotRail cancelling all companies operating on the Nith Valley line, which means no trains might be operating between Dumfries and Glasgow.
Avanti West Coast is warning passengers utilizing Lockerbie station to solely journey “the place completely needed”, with TransPennine Categorical not operating any trains north of the border on the strike days.
South Scotland Labour MSP, Colin Smyth, mentioned: “Completely nobody desires these strikes to go forward, not the unions, not the workers, not the general public however they are often averted.
“The Tory Authorities wants to indicate some management and guarantee there are significant talks between employers and unions to make a good and smart pay provide. They need to additionally tackle the cuts to security and upkeep workers that are additionally driving this dispute.
“That’s the job of a authorities minister. As an alternative of getting a grip of this disaster, the Tories are smugly sitting by whereas the nation is dragged again to the Eighties.”
The RMT is in a dispute with Community Rail and 13 practice operators over pay, jobs and pensions.
The union’s basic secretary, Mick Lynch, claims employees “have been handled appallingly” and referred to as for a face-to-face assembly with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak to resolve the dispute.
Nonetheless, Mr Shapps has described the strikes as “an unbelievable act of self-harm” which might be “a bid to derail reforms which might be crucial to the community’s future”.
Community Rail chief govt, Andrew Haines, claimed the motion is “useless” and “damaging”.
ScotRail will not be one of many corporations concerned within the dispute however as Community Rail is liable for practice strains and infrastructure throughout the UK, they are saying the strike will trigger “important disruption to companies”.
Because of this, it can solely be operating a restricted timetable on 5 routes – none in Dumfries and Galloway.
ScotRail’s service supply director, David Simpson, mentioned: “This strike motion by RMT members of Community Rail signifies that we will be unable to function the overwhelming majority of our companies throughout the interval of strike motion.
“Clients ought to anticipate important disruption to companies subsequent week, together with on the times between strike motion.”
TransPennine Categorical is likely one of the practice operators concerned within the dispute.
It received’t be operating any trains in Scotland, which means no companies to or from Lockerbie.
Avanti West Coast, which can be affected by the dispute, has scaled again its timetable between Lockerbie and Glasgow and isn’t operating any companies to Edinburgh.
The primary of 4 Glasgow-bound trains will go away Lockerbie at 12.25pm with the final one at 5.22pm.
And the final of three Lockerbie-bound trains will go away Glasgow at 12.19pm.
Avanti West Coast director, Phil Whittingham, mentioned: “We’re advising prospects to solely journey the place needed on our route on strike days and as an alternative make their journeys on various days or declare a full refund.”
