Plan your journeys this Christmas, warns transport minister

Scotland’s transport minister has urged travellers to plan their journeys this Christmas amid concerns of busier than usual roads as well as festive walkouts by rail and border staff.

Jenny Gilruth gave the warning on Thursday as people around the country started to look ahead to the Christmas weekend visiting loved ones.

“We’re expecting the transport network to be busier than usual over the Christmas weekend as people travel to spend time with their friends and families, so it’s important to plan your journey ahead of time,” she said.

“Planning ahead is also important on other modes of transport, so make sure you stay in contact with your operator to see how your service might be affected.

“This is particularly important for people travelling by rail or air with planned industrial action by Network Rail and Border Force staff over the festive period.”

Rail passengers have been warned by ScotRail to expect disruption after Network Rail workers announced they would strike. Members of the RMT union at the infrastructure firm will walk out from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27 in a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

Meanwhile, about 1,000 Border Force staff who are members of the Public and Commercial Services Union will strike every day from Friday to the end of the year, except December 27.

Meanwhile, the bitterly cold weather which saw temperatures plummet recently are not expected to return over the coming days, but 240 gritters are at the ready to be deployed to keep Scotland moving during the festive period.

“Conditions over the past fortnight have given many people their first real taste of winter this year,” the transport minister said.

“While these conditions are fairly typical for December, they are also a timely reminder of the importance of being prepared for the winter weather.”