Catching a train during the Christmas period is always a fairly chaotic experience. But add into the mix the fact that, this year, some major stations will be shut due to engineering work and that hundreds of staff members will be striking, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for travel mayhem.
Yep, you read that right. Rail staff are planning to take industrial action on some of the busiest travel days of the year. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) working for CrossCountry Trains are walking out across four days in December.
The planned industrial action is expected to impact routes from Scotland all the way down to Cornwall, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers journeying home for Christmas. Here’s everything you need to know.
Full list of CrossCountry strike days in December 2026
Members of the RMT union will walk out every Saturday in December. That’s December 6, 13, 20 and 27.
Which rail routes will be affected?
The majority of CrossCountry journeys that connect Scotland, England and Wales via Birmingham New Street are likely to be disrupted on strike days. That includes routes to major cities like Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Newcastle, Cardiff, and Edinburgh.
Why are CrossCountry staff striking?
The strikes are over issues to do with pay and staff shortages. Eddie Dempsey, RMT’s general secretary, said: ‘CrossCountry has not dealt with the core issues in this dispute and has come back with a proposal that is worse than what was already on the table.
‘Our members are still facing unresolved staffing shortages, unfair pay outcomes and broken commitments. RMT members have been left with no choice but to take strike action.
‘The company must return with a serious offer that meets the commitments it has already made and treats our members with the fairness and respect they deserve.’
ICYMI: Rail fares in England will be frozen in 2026 – here’s what that means for train ticket prices.
Plus: A petition has been launched to reopen a new train station just outside London.
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