Disruption to railway services expected as routes return to normal following Network Rail strike

Travellers have been warned to expect disruption on Scotland’s railways as services slowly return to normal following strike action.

On Saturday, workers from the Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail staged the second of two planned strikes this week, significantly reducing the number of services operating on major routes.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said his union’s members are calling on Network Rail to protect their pensions, secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.

ScotRail warned passengers not to travel unless absolutely necessary as hundreds of services were cancelled.

However disruption will continue into Sunday, as signal box activation has been affected by Saturday’s industrial action.

ScotRail workers were not involved in the rail walkout, however signal operators were among those taking action.

It is the latest in a wave of strikes to hit the rail network this summer following previous action which ground routes to a halt.

Liam Sumpter, route director of Network Rail Scotland, said: “This week’s strikes will once again cause significant disruption and we’re doing everything we can to minimise the impact on passengers, businesses and the wider community.”

Signal boxes in the central belt are set to be turned on at around 7.15am, however ScotRail warned it could take into the afternoon to restore services in other areas.