Thousands face Boxing Day travel chaos across Britain as rail strikes continue | Rail strikes

Thousands of people face Boxing Day travel disruptions across the UK as rail strikes mean services will not run.

As industrial action continues, many have been forced to cancel or make alternative plans.

Hundreds of flights typically depart on December 26th after the Christmas shutdown.

But Network Rail said Britain’s railways had been shut down for the second day in a row due to a strike by employees who were members of the Railways, Shipping and Transport Union (RMT).

The strike is part of a long-running dispute over wages, employment and working conditions between RMT, the railway company and Network Rail.

Thousands of members of Network Rail’s RMT union went on strike during the festive period from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 6am on December 27th.

Confusion was also expected for people entering and leaving the airport as the Stansted Express was not running on Boxing Day.

There will be no service on Boxing Day due to planned upgrade work on the Heathrow Express. Airline passengers should look for other ways to get to and from UK airports.

Rail schedules after Boxing Day were expected to be disrupted with trains starting late December 27 due to industrial action.

Due to the train shortage, more people are expected to travel by road, with long-distance bus operators National Express and Megabus reporting strong demand.

The AA expected 15.2 million cars to hit Britain’s roads on Boxing Day.

Resolving the rail dispute seems far away, with RMT accusing government ministers of being “missing” after recent talks.

“Our industrial campaign will continue until the government gives the rail industry an order to negotiate a negotiated solution to job security, wages and working conditions,” said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.

Network Rail says the proposed deal is “fair and affordable”.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport said ministers “worked hard to promote fair and reasonable proposals”, adding that the public “would rather have their celebrations affected by a strike”.

Meanwhile, about 1,000 Border Patrol staff from the Public and Commercial Service (PCS) Union have been on strike since December 23, with members of the military providing cover.

According to Sky News, one border patrol officer at Manchester Airport said arriving passengers would normally be questioned, but staff waved to avoid queues during the strike. I told him that I was there.