Strike action to close Manchester Piccadilly at 7pm this Saturday

* Passengers advised not to get caught out by hugely reduced Saturday service due to rail strikes * Many routes have no trains and those which will run will finish in the afternoon * Advice is to only travel if necessary and regularly check National Rail Enquiries

Passengers planning on travelling during a third day of RMT strike action this Saturday are being warned not to get caught out with trains finishing much earlier than normal.

Many last trains will leave between 3pm and 5pm and arrive at their final destinations before 7pm.

Manchester Piccadilly station will close completely at 7pm on Saturday evening.

People are once again being advised to only travel by rail if necessary tomorrow (Saturday) because of the continuing industrial action by RMT.

Passengers who still need to travel should check www.nationalrail.co.uk so they know exactly what to expect.

People can also check with their individual train operators at:

• https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/plan-your-journey/strike
• https://www.journeycheck.com/northern/
• https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/?gclid=eaiaiqobchmi7rwx7j7g-aivyu3tch3g9adoeaayasaaegly_fd_bwe&gclsrc=aw.ds
• https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-updates-information/train-timetables
• https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/
• https://tfw.wales/

Network Rail says it is trying to give passengers the best service it possibly can but trains will be significantly reduced or not running at all on some routes.

The 20 per cent of trains which will be running will only operate between 7:30am and 6:30pm.

The full rail network will be open on Sunday, but some disruption is still expected and passengers are advised to continue to check before they travel.

A full timetable will be in place on Monday, June 27 - although further industrial action is anticipated if an agreement cannot be found.

Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “We’ve been working hard all week negotiating with the RMT union and it’s hugely disappointing our two sides have not been able to reach a compromise, leading to a third, damaging day of strike action which will now impact weekend rail travel.

“I’m hugely sorry that people’s family and leisure time will be disrupted, and for those who will once again struggle getting to work. Our advice is to please only travel if you must and regularly check National Rail Enquiries as the few services which will be running will finish early in the afternoon and I don’t want people to be caught out unable to get home again from a day trip.”

Phil Whittingham, Avanti West Coast managing director, said: “Weekends have seen very strong growth in passenger numbers over recent months and we’re concerned that many who travel at weekends will be less frequent rail users and may not realise the huge impact industrial action will have.

“On Saturday our first trains will leave later in the day and the last train to destinations will set off much earlier than normal. The reduced timetable will also have significant impact on Sunday too. So we’re strongly advising customers to only travel if absolutely necessary and instead make their journeys on alternative days or claim a full refund. If customers have no choice but to travel they should check our website for the latest updates before setting off.”