London to Edinburgh rail services cancelled and Glasgow route reduced during Avanti West Coast strike

Rail services between England and parts of Scotland have been cancelled or severely reduced amid strike action on Sunday.

No Avanti West Coast trains will operate from London or Manchester to Edinburgh, while those going to Glasgow will run just one an hour during a walkout train managers represented by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

Those planning to travel across the border on Sunday have been urged to find alternative means and check whether or not their service is running before setting out on their journeys.

The strikes are the latest wave of action in a long-running dispute over work schedules.

Staff say “significant” cuts to rest days and changes to work timetables at short notice are to blame for the row.

The union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, accused the firm of a “siege mentality,” adding: “Avanti’s treatment of their staff is some of the worst we’ve seen in the industry and their overall mismanagement of the franchise is causing repeated cancellations for passengers.

“The truth is they need to negotiate rosters properly with our union and run the railway in a professional way.

“That seems a long way off and our industrial campaign will continue into next month.”

It comes after the Department for Transport warned the firm it must “drastically improve” its services or risk losing its contract to operate on the line after its London-Glasgow deal was only extended by six months in October.

A spokesperson said: “We ask RMT to engage in meaningful industry reform talks around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st century.”