Similar to several other rail providers, Northern’s train services are set to face disruptions next weekend, owing to industrial action undertaken by the RMT union members, thus making it hard for Manchester United fans to get to Old Trafford on Saturday.
The industrial action is scheduled for Saturday, 26th August, but it’s anticipated that Northern services will be impacted from Friday, 25th through to Monday, 28th August. To aid passengers in planning their journeys, Northern has unveiled a travel advisory calendar for the period of 25-28 August, highlighting the affected service timings.
On the strike day itself, 26th August, Northern will be able to provide only a sparse service on certain routes. Trains will be operational from a select few stations and will run hourly between 8 am and 5 pm.
It’s also worth noting that the RMT union has planned an additional strike for the subsequent Saturday, 2nd September. The level of service disruption is expected to be on par with the previous strike.
Manchester United take on Nottingham Forest with a 3pm kick off in the Premier League next Saturday, meaning fans from other parts of the country and those that travel by train will have to find other means of travel to the ground.
For detailed insights on the strike implications and the skeletal service to be in place, passengers can visit the Northern website at www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/strikes.
Tricia Williams, Northern’s Chief Operating Officer, commented:
“We know these RMT strikes will cause disruption to the general public.
“Whilst this is only a one-day strike, it falls right in the middle of the busy August bank holiday weekend and will impact people trying to get to major events taking place across region, including Manchester United and Everton football fixtures, York Races, Leeds Festival, Creamfields and Manchester Pride.
“The RMT is still refusing to put the latest pay offer negotiated on behalf of train operators to a vote by their members and it is unfortunate that these strikes continue for their second summer.”
