Harrogate rail passengers warned to expect disruption if travelling by train this Christmas

On Christmas Eve (December 24), trains will stop much earlier than usual as members of the RMT Union at Network Rail and many train operators begin strike action.

Passengers are being urged to plan ahead and avoid travelling on Christmas Eve wherever they can and those who absolutely need to travel by train should check their journey, set off in the morning and expect disruption.

Matt Rice, North and East Route Director for Network Rail, said: “Our teams are stepping up to run as many trains as we can in the run-up to Christmas, but with strike action on Christmas Eve, we’re asking passengers to plan ahead and travel as early as possible to keep their plans on track.

"We’ll also be completing some crucial work over the festive period to offer a more reliable railway for the future.”

Train operator Northern has published a calendar highlighting its travel guidance to customers over Christmas and the New Year.

It factors in the known industrial action, major engineering work and regular Christmas ‘shut down’ (Christmas Day and Boxing Day) up until Tuesday, January 10, outlining the days when:

- customers can travel but should expect disruption

- customers should not travel due to very limited services

- customers cannot travel as there are no services operating

- customers can expect a normal service to be running

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We hope this quick reference guide will make it easier for customers to make travel arrangements over the Christmas period.

"The main cause of the disruption remains industrial action by the RMT union and we can only apologise to our customers for the inconvenience it will cause to their journeys.”

Northern’s new timetable came into effect just before the extended period of disruption, so it is advising customers to use the new ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on its website to see the changes specific to their local station.

For more information, visit https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/