UK December Rail Strikes Called Off On CrossCountry

Published on Dec 6, 2025, 9:41 pm CST

9 min read

Key points

RMT industrial action on CrossCountry for Saturdays 6, 13, 20 and 27 December 2025 has been suspended
CrossCountry now expects to run a normal Saturday timetable, with some short notice cancellations still possible
Engineering work, including in the Chesterfield area, will extend journeys between Derby, the North East and Scotland by up to 60 minutes
Busy Christmas Saturdays mean long distance routes via Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh will be heavily loaded despite the strike reprieve
Airport and long distance coach workarounds are no longer essential, but travelers should still pre book seats and keep flexible plans

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: The busiest conditions will be on long distance CrossCountry routes through Birmingham, including trains linking Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and the South West, plus sections affected by engineering work between Derby and the North East or Scotland
Best Times To Travel: Early morning and late evening departures on the December Saturdays are likely to be calmer than late morning and mid afternoon peaks around shopping and event times
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Allow at least one extra hour for itineraries that rely on trains across the Chesterfield engineering area and build longer buffers for airport and cruise port transfers
What Travelers Should Do Now: Reinstate CrossCountry into December plans, pre book reserved seats where possible, and check journey planners daily for any short notice cancellations or diversions
Airport And Coach Alternatives: Keep backup options like coaches and alternative rail routes in mind for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh, but treat them as contingency rather than primary plans now that a normal timetable is expected

CrossCountry has confirmed that planned Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, RMT, industrial action on its network for Saturdays 6, 13, 20 and 27 December 2025 has been suspended, removing one of the biggest single day rail threats to Christmas travel in the United Kingdom. The decision means the operator now expects to run a normal timetable on those four Saturdays, rather than the limited and patchy service originally advertised. Travelers who had been avoiding CrossCountry or shifting to long distance coaches can put the network back into their planning, while still allowing for engineering work, short notice cancellations, and heavy seasonal demand on routes through Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, and Edinburgh.

In plain terms, the CrossCountry December rail strikes suspended at short notice remove a structural constraint from UK Christmas rail travel, but they do not remove crowding pressures or timetable changes driven by engineering work and the wider timetable. A normal CrossCountry timetable is now the baseline for those four Saturdays, not an overlaid strike timetable, and this gives both domestic travelers and visitors more flexibility in how they cross England, Scotland, and Wales.

CrossCountry operates a largely London free intercity and regional network centered on Birmingham, with trains linking South West cities like Bristol and Plymouth to Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, and Edinburgh, as well as cross country routes toward Cardiff, Southampton, and Stansted Airport. Because many of these services offer the most direct path between regional cities, they carry a mix of commuters, leisure travelers, airport users, and long distance visitors who would otherwise have to route via London or assemble a patchwork of connecting services. Any disruption, whether from strikes or engineering work, tends to ripple across multiple regions at once.

What Changed In The Strike Dispute

RMT first announced the December CrossCountry strikes on November 21, 2025, after a long running dispute over pay, staffing, and rest day working. The union signalled that members would walk out on all four Saturdays in December, which are among the busiest shopping and getaway days of the year. CrossCountry's initial advice warned of a heavily reduced timetable on December 6 and further disruption on December 13, 20, and 27, including no service at all on some routes.

On December 4, the company confirmed that the industrial action had been suspended following progress in talks, and that a normal Saturday timetable would be reinstated not only for December 6 but also for the remaining Saturdays in the month. CrossCountry's industrial action page now explicitly states that strikes on December 6, 13, 20, and 27 have been suspended, and that online journey planners have been updated to show the reinstated trains.

Management is still warning that the short lead time between the suspension and the first affected date means there may be some short notice cancellations or rolling stock changes, especially on December 6. Travelers should treat the reinstated timetable as a strong baseline, but not an absolute guarantee that each individual train will operate exactly as originally planned.

Engineering Work And Where Schedules Are Still Tight

Even without strikes, December is a heavy maintenance month on the UK rail network, and CrossCountry is no exception. The most concrete impact already flagged for the first Saturday is engineering work in the Chesterfield area, which will force diversions and extended journey times between Derby and the North East and Scotland. CrossCountry and specialist rail outlets are warning that journeys on those axes may take up to 60 minutes longer than normal.

That delay is particularly important for travelers using CrossCountry segments to reach Edinburgh, Newcastle, or York for onward connections, or those linking into airport services from Manchester or Leeds. The timetable may show connections that are technically valid on paper, but the added hour in the Derby to Scotland corridor means travelers should build in extra margin, or consider an earlier train for any high stakes onward travel.

Other routine engineering work, some of it published late in the timetable cycle, can affect lines around Birmingham, Bristol, and Manchester on different weekends in December. These often manifest as diversionary routings, extended journey times, or the replacement of some late night or early morning trains with buses. National Rail Enquiries and the CrossCountry website remain the authoritative sources for the most current version of these changes, which may be adjusted as work progresses.

Background, How CrossCountry Fits Into UK Festive Travel

CrossCountry's role in UK rail travel is unusual. It does not serve central London, but it links many of the country's second tier cities and university towns directly to each other. A traveler going from Cardiff to Nottingham, from Bristol to Manchester, or from Birmingham to Edinburgh can often make the journey in a single seat with CrossCountry, instead of changing in London or juggling multiple operators.

Because of this, CrossCountry services are a backbone for internal Christmas travel, especially for students returning home, families visiting relatives in other regions, and tourists combining city breaks. They also act as feeders into key airport corridors, for example connections toward Birmingham Airport via Birmingham International, and toward Manchester Airport via linked services, even though CrossCountry itself does not operate every airport leg.

Industrial action on this network therefore tends to push people onto motorways and long distance coaches, or forces them into more complex rail routings that rely on other operators already facing their own holiday pressures. The suspension of the December strikes removes that extra layer of stress, but the overall December context of busy trains and engineering works remains.

How To Plan CrossCountry Saturdays In December

Travelers who postponed booking December Saturday trips on CrossCountry now have more room to move. Advance tickets that were briefly unattractive because of strike uncertainty can again offer genuine value, especially on early morning trains out of Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, and Edinburgh that are likely to be less crowded than late morning and mid afternoon departures.

Seat reservations are strongly recommended on long distance legs, particularly for families or groups that want to sit together. CrossCountry's longer intercity services often run at or near capacity on December Saturdays, and a reservation can mean the difference between a predictable trip and a journey spent standing or searching for scattered single seats. If reservations are no longer available on a given train, that is a signal to consider an earlier or later departure.

For itineraries that involve airport transfers, cruise departures, or separate tickets on another operator, adding buffer time is still wise. On routes crossing the Chesterfield engineering area between Derby and Scotland, travelers should assume that journeys may take up to an hour longer and pick earlier trains accordingly. On other routes, a 30 to 60 minute margin is prudent, especially around the busiest midday and late afternoon windows.

Those who had already booked long distance coach workarounds or flexible hotel stays to avoid the strikes now face a judgement call. In many cases, staying with the original rail itinerary will be more comfortable and faster than a multi hour coach trip. However, if a coach ticket is fully refundable and a CrossCountry alternative is now affordable and convenient, switching back to rail may improve the overall experience.

Wider UK And European Context

The CrossCountry reprieve sits alongside a broader pattern of labor disputes and policy changes that affect European trips in 2025, from local tax proposals to evolving rules for border checks and passenger rights. Travelers planning multi country December itineraries that combine UK rail with European flights or trains should cross check their broader plans against explainers such as Adept Traveler's guide to Europe 2025 travel rules and border costs.

Within England itself, visitors should also be aware of proposals for new local hotel taxes that may slightly change the overall trip budget, even if they do not directly affect rail timetables, as covered in the recent piece on the proposed England tourist tax on hotel stays. Taken together, these developments underline the need to think of train tickets, accommodation, and local transport as parts of one ecosystem, rather than isolated components.

Practical Checklist Before You Travel

In the final week before each December Saturday, travelers should check the CrossCountry industrial action page and National Rail Enquiries for any late changes that might reintroduce disruption. Even though the RMT action is currently suspended, a breakdown in talks or a new dispute could, in theory, lead to fresh announcements. For now there is no sign of that, and CrossCountry's own messaging is firmly focused on welcoming passengers back.

On the day of travel, aim to have your journey loaded into a mobile app or printed itinerary, watch live departure boards for platform changes, and arrive at major hubs like Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly with extra time to navigate crowds and find your train. If something does go wrong, such as a short notice cancellation or a missed connection, speaking early to station staff or using official digital channels will generally yield better options than waiting until trains are visibly full.

For most travelers, the suspension of the CrossCountry December rail strikes means Christmas rail planning in the UK can shift out of crisis mode and back into the familiar pattern of juggling busy trains, winter weather, and the usual maintenance works. With realistic buffers, reserved seats, and up to date journey checks, it should still be possible to cross the country by train on those key Saturdays without falling back on last resort workarounds.