Scotland braces for rail chaos

Scotland’s commuters are set to be hit by widespread rail strikes today, with around 90 per cent of services being cancelled.

The first of three 24-hour strikes will see about 40,000 Network Rail staff strike over pay, working conditions and redundancies. The RMT union, which is involved in the dispute, says Network Rail's plans to cut 2,500 jobs will put safety at risk.

Staff working for ScotRail are not involved in this industrial action but the train operator relies on Network Rail workers to operate signal boxes and maintain the track across the UK.

As a result, ScotRail said it would run very limited services on five routes in the central belt only, with no replacement buses.

The routes are:

• Edinburgh - Glasgow via Falkirk High: two trains per hour
• Edinburgh - Bathgate: two trains per hour
• Glasgow - Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
• Glasgow - Lanark: two trains per hour
• Edinburgh - Glasgow via Shotts: one train per hour

Trains will only run from 07:30 on those routes, with the last trains departing well before 18:30.

Anyone who has bought a ticket they are unable to use will be able to claim a full refund.