Swinney calls for lessons to be learned after rail strike called off

Politicians and train operators have welcomed the news that next week’s planned national rail strike will now not go ahead.

In Scotland, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said it was “important that lessons are learned from this to reduce the likelihood of future action and ensure that passengers and businesses can plan ahead with confidence.”

He added: “I would like to thank everyone who put such considerable effort into making major contingency plans, especially ScotRail who had the painstaking task of developing and uploading emergency timetables at short notice and prioritising routes based on demand and the staff expertise and experience available, and the bus industry who had offered to put on extra services.

“What was encouraging about the experience was the willingness of everyone to work together to develop credible plans and raise awareness of what promised to be a damaging period of travel disruption.”

Relieved train operators have also responded positively to the news.

Southeastern said it would be able to run normal services on May 25-26. Its contingency plan would have led to it – like all other rail operators – running a severely limited service.

“The news this afternoon means we can continue normal operations on the Monday and Tuesday and run our normal timetable.

First Great Western said it was a “huge relief” to passengers choosing to travel over the Bank Holiday weekend and to the communities that it serves.

“We expect to run services as normal."

• For more on the strike, read RAIL 775, published on May 27.
• For in-depth reporting on the strike and what caused the suspension, read RAIL 776, published on June 10.