Last trains leaves ahead of Christmas Eve strikes

• Strikes delay Christmas Eve trains, so passengers hurry to board.
• Border Force and postal workers strike before Christmas.
• Strikes delay Christmas Eve trains, so passengers hurry to board.

As Christmas Eve services expire due to more strikes, rail customers are rushing to catch the last trains.

On Saturday, rail services were completed at 15:00 before RMT union members started taking part in strike action around 18:00.

There have been delays or cancellations all day for people returning home for the holidays.

The most recent walkouts over salary in the run-up to Christmas are also being participated in by postal workers and Border Force employees.

Due to a lack of employees, services from Euston to Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central, and Birmingham International were among those that were delayed.

At Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Glasgow airports as well as the Port of Newhaven, some 1,000 Border Force employees went on strike on Friday.

Due to the drafting of military personnel and government employees to cover strikers, border disruption has been kept to a minimum.

Heathrow Airport said operations were running smoothly on Saturday. A spokesperson added: “The immigration halls are free flowing with Border Force and the military contingency providing a good level of service for arriving passengers.”

With the exception of December 27, Border Force employees will go on strike until the end of the year. However, there have been warnings that strikes might stretch for months if a new salary agreement is not reached.

The UK’s rail infrastructure is being maintained by Network Rail, which will remain in industrial action until 6 a.m. on December 27.

On Christmas Eve, the 09:45 train from Leeds to London, the 11:22 train from London to Edinburgh, and the 12:48 train from London to Manchester were the final trains on important lines.

Families at Paddington Station in London told Media they were concerned about the strikes.

To celebrate their first Christmas with family since the pandemic, Leela, Richard, and their infant Kalinda stated they were their route to Bristol but had been “checked all week that the trains were not going to be cancelled.”

Kartik Aggarwal’s train has been cancelled at Euston Station, a few kilometers away. The student, 24, claimed he might have to skip a Birmingham Christmas party.

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