CrossCountry industrial action, October 18 disruption

Published on Oct 17, 2025, 2:28 pm CDT

3 min read

Key points

Strike suspended, disruption remains on October 18
Limited CrossCountry timetable with late starts, early finishes
Leeds and Wakefield calls largely skipped all weekend
Birmingham to Plymouth journeys up to one hour longer
Tickets valid October 17 to 21 under easements

Impact

Who Is Affected: Travelers using CrossCountry across Britain, especially Birmingham, Leeds, York, Plymouth, and Southampton corridors.
Where: Network-wide CrossCountry routes with gaps on Cardiff, Nottingham, south-west, and Scotland flows; Leeds and Wakefield impacted.
Severity: High on Saturday with limited trains, crowding, short-notice changes; moderate on Sunday due to crew constraints.
What To Do: Check journey day-of, use alternative operators where available, allow extra time, and consider traveling October 17 to 21 with ticket easements.

CrossCountry's planned industrial action on Saturday, October 18, has been suspended, but the operator cannot reinstate its normal timetable at short notice. A limited service will run with later starts and earlier finishes, and some routes will have no trains. Engineering work layered on top will extend journey times and remove certain station calls. Travelers should check day-of journey planners and consider ticket easements that allow trips between October 17 and 21. This matters because Saturday crowding, altered calling patterns, and gaps in service will strand connections unless you adjust plans in advance.

CrossCountry industrial action and engineering work

CrossCountry says all routes are affected on October 18. Expect very limited service between Birmingham and Manchester, Bristol, Leeds and York, and Reading, with no service on corridors such as Gloucester to Cardiff, Derby to Nottingham, Bristol to Plymouth and beyond, and Edinburgh to Glasgow or Aberdeen. Some trains may extend from York to Edinburgh and Reading to Southampton, but calling patterns will change and services will be busier than usual. Online journey planners will update through Saturday morning. Other operators are not subject to this industrial action.

Most CrossCountry trains will not call at Wakefield Westgate and Leeds on both Saturday and Sunday due to engineering work between Leeds and Church Fenton. Alternative rail services will operate between Leeds and York. Between Birmingham and Plymouth, journey times will be extended by up to one hour across the weekend.

Latest developments

National Rail Enquiries confirms the suspension of the October 18 strike and continues to flag significant disruption because timetables cannot be restored in time. CrossCountry also warns of Sunday, October 19, short-notice cancellations linked to crew availability. Plan for residual disruption into Sunday even though industrial action is paused.

Ticket easements are in place. Tickets dated Saturday, October 18, are valid for travel from Friday, October 17, up to and including Tuesday, October 21, on CrossCountry and connecting operators. This policy is intended to spread demand and reduce Saturday crowding.

Analysis

If you must travel on Saturday, book the earliest viable departure, travel carry-on if possible, and build a generous buffer for connections. Use alternative operators on overlapping routes where available, especially across Yorkshire and the Midlands, and check whether local services cover intermediate stations skipped by CrossCountry. For longer-distance journeys, shift plans to Sunday morning or to the easement window through Tuesday to avoid pinch points. Travelers heading toward the south-west should expect slower trips and fewer options because of the Birmingham to Plymouth slowdown and curtailed CrossCountry links beyond Bristol.

Final thoughts

The primary takeaway is that CrossCountry industrial action on October 18 is suspended, but disruption remains significant. Combine day-of checks with the ticket-easement window through October 21 to reduce risk, and expect altered stops around Leeds and Wakefield as engineering work continues.