London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, May 21, 2026

Rail strike to halt 90% of ScotRail train services

Rail strike to halt 90% of ScotRail train services

ScotRail says it will have to cancel more than 90% of its usual services when a UK-wide strike by signal workers takes place next week.

Members of the RMT union working for Network Rail are due to take action next Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

ScotRail says it will only be able to run about 180 services on five routes in the central belt, and warns there will also be disruption on other days.

The train operator usually operates 2,150 services on its full timetable.

It is currently running a reduced timetable of about 1,500 services due to a separate pay dispute with the drivers' union Aslef, which is now asking its members to accept a revised deal.


On the strike days of 21, 23 and 25 June, ScotRail will only run trains on the routes from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High; Edinburgh to Bathgate; Glasgow to Hamilton/Larkhall; Glasgow to Lanark; Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts.

Rail lines will only be open between 07:30 and 18:30, and ScotRail says the last trains will depart well before 18.30. Information for passengers will be available on its website.

Other operators will also run some trains on the east coast and west coast mainlines.

ScotRail's service delivery director David Simpson said: "Customers should expect significant disruption to services next week, including on the days between strike action.

"On the five routes where we are able to operate a very limited service on strike days, we're advising customers to seek alternative means of transport and to only travel if they really need to."

Events happening in Scotland on the strike days include the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, which runs from 23 June to 26 June, and a Barry Manilow concert at the Hydro in Glasgow on 23 June.

The industrial action, which has been described as the "biggest rail strike in modern history", is expected to involve more than 40,000 RMT members.

This includes staff working for Network Rail Scotland and cross-border train operators LNER, CrossCounty, Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express.

Although ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper staff are not participating in the strike, their services will also be disrupted.

The signal workers are employed by Network Rail, which manages most of the UK's railway tracks and stations.


Network Rail Scotland's route director Liam Sumpter said: "We understand the disruption this strike will cause and apologise to passengers for the impact on their journeys.

"We are continuing talks with our trade unions to seek a compromise that would avoid this damaging strike action."

The RMT has said it is open to meaningful negotiations, and that its members have been subject to pay freezes, threats to jobs and attacks on their terms and conditions.

The action is separate to the dispute between ScotRail and the Aslef union, which has seen hundreds of trains cancelled each day after many drivers opted not to work overtime.

Some late night rail services resumed after a breakthrough in pay talks last week.

Aslef says it is now recommending that its members accept the deal on the table. Results of the ballot should be known on 11 July.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
'They're people from all walks of life across the UK'
EU Digital ID Claims Misstate What Brussels Can Legally Force on Member States
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
CATL Unveils Revolutionary EV Battery Tech: 1000 km Range and 7-Minute Charging Ahead of Beijing Auto Show
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
Power Dynamics: Apple’s Leadership Shakeup, Geopolitical Risks in the Strait of Hormuz, and Europe's Energy Strategy Amidst Global Challenges
Apple's Leadership Transition: Can New CEO John Ternus Navigate AI Challenges and Geopolitical Pressures?
Italy’s €100K Tax Gambit: Europe’s Soft Power Tax Haven
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
Meghan Markle Plans Exclusive Women-Focused Retreat During Australia Visit
Starmer and Trump Hold Strategic Talks on Securing Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions
Unofficial Australia Visit by Prince Harry and Meghan Expected to Stir Tensions with Royal Circles
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
UK Stocks Rise on Ceasefire Momentum and Renewed Focus on Diplomacy
UK to Hold Further Strategic Talks on Strait of Hormuz Security
Starmer Voices Frustration as Global Tensions Drive Up UK Energy Costs
UK Students Voice Concern Over Proposal for Automatic Military Draft Registration
Rising Volatility Drives Uncertainty in UK Fuel and Petrol Prices
UK Moves to Deploy ‘Skyhammer’ Anti-Drone System to Strengthen Airspace Defense
New Analysis Explores UK Budget Mechanics in ‘Behind the Blue’ Feature
Man Arrested After Four Die in Channel Crossing Tragedy
UK Tightens Immigration Framework with New Sponsor Rules and Fee Increases
UK Foreign Secretary Highlights Impact of Intensified Strikes in Lebanon
UK Urges Inclusion of Lebanon in US-Iran Ceasefire Framework
×