Travelers across the United Kingdom are bracing for a turbulent August bank holiday weekend as widespread strikes by CrossCountry rail workers threaten to paralyze major rail routes, leaving passengers scrambling for alternative plans. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has called for industrial action on Saturday, August 23, and again on bank holiday Monday, August 25, 2025, in a dispute centered on pay, staffing, and working conditions. The timing could hardly be worse, with millions expected to travel for end-of-summer holidays and events.
According to Manchester Evening News and The Guardian, the strike action will see RMT members—including train managers and senior conductors—refusing to work on both days, effectively shutting down CrossCountry’s extensive network for much of the weekend. CrossCountry’s routes, which fan out from Birmingham to cities as far north as Aberdeen and as far south as Cornwall, are vital arteries for both leisure and business travelers.
On Saturday, August 23, not a single CrossCountry train will run. The operator has bluntly advised passengers: do not travel. “It is hugely disappointing to not operate any services on Saturday, knowing the inevitable disruption to many of our passengers’ journeys over the Bank Holiday weekend,” said Shiona Rolfe, CrossCountry’s Managing Director, in a statement reported by PA and Manchester Evening News. “We are committed to reaching an agreement with the RMT and remain available to continue talks.”
The situation on Sunday, August 24, offers little respite, with cancellations expected across all CrossCountry routes. While the company has stopped short of announcing a total shutdown for the day, passengers are warned to expect significant disruption and to check their journeys carefully. For those holding tickets for the affected period, CrossCountry has confirmed that full refunds will be available—a small consolation for many whose holiday plans have been upended.
Monday, August 25, brings only marginal improvement. CrossCountry will attempt to run a “very limited” service between 8am and 6pm, but with a drastically reduced timetable and only a skeleton staff. No trains will operate between Birmingham, Reading, and the South Coast, nor between Leicester, Cambridge, and Stansted Airport. Only the South West and the north of York will see any service at all, and even there, trains will be few and far between. To compound matters, planned engineering work in the West Midlands will further slow the handful of trains that do run, with some journeys taking longer than usual.
The RMT’s decision to strike follows a period of escalating tensions with CrossCountry management. Union sources have told PA, The Guardian, and Manchester Evening News that the dispute centers on claims the company has failed to honor agreements regarding staffing levels, safety protocols, and pay. In June, RMT members began an overtime ban and refused to work on rest days, accusing CrossCountry of declining to negotiate over increased pay for overtime and rest-day work—actions that, according to the union, break previously agreed commitments.
“Our members have voted strongly in favour of industrial action, and we are seeking further talks with management to bring about a negotiated settlement,” an RMT spokesperson said, as reported by Manchester Evening News and The Guardian. The union maintains that its members’ demands are reasonable, especially given the additional pressures faced by rail workers during the busy summer period.
The fallout from the strike is expected to be severe. Visit England has reported that more than 11 million Britons are planning overnight trips in the UK over the bank holiday break, a figure that surpasses last year’s numbers. With CrossCountry out of commission for key stretches of the weekend, pressure is mounting on other transport providers and the nation’s road network. National Express, the UK’s largest intercity coach operator, has announced it will add 9,000 extra seats on routes serving cities including Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Bolton, Cardiff, Hull, London, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Swansea, and Wolverhampton to help absorb some of the displaced rail passengers.
Nicky Kelvin, Editor at Large at The Points Guy, offered practical advice for those still determined to travel: “The planned engineering works will affect several routes across the rail network over the Bank Holiday weekend, with services across several operators impacting passenger journeys, with reduced and amended timetables in place. I always suggest that rail passengers should always make sure they are checking their operator website ahead of time, or websites such as Trainline.com or the National Rail website to see if their planned route will be impacted. Another great tip is on the travel day itself, to go on X to see what other passengers are saying and have experienced when travelling on the revised route.”
Kelvin also cautioned that rail replacement bus services, while available, can be slower than other modes of transport. “If passengers need to travel, try and look at alternative times to avoid peak journey times when they will be notoriously busy and crowded,” he advised. For those opting to drive, the warnings are equally stark: the RAC predicts up to 18 million car journeys over the weekend, with the heaviest congestion expected in the south-east and south-west of England. Motorists are urged to set off early and allow extra journey time to avoid gridlock, especially on major routes like the M20 in Kent for Channel crossings.
CrossCountry’s management, for their part, have repeatedly expressed their regret over the disruption and their desire to resolve the dispute. “We are disappointed for our passengers that the RMT has announced strikes on Saturday 23 and Monday 25 August,” said Shiona Rolfe. “We are committed to reaching an agreement with the RMT and remain available to continue talks.”
Despite these assurances, the underlying issues remain unresolved. The RMT has indicated it is open to further negotiations, but as things stand, no breakthrough has been achieved. The union’s members, having voted strongly in favor of industrial action, appear determined to hold the line until their concerns are addressed.
For now, the message to travelers is clear: avoid rail travel on the affected dates if at all possible, check for updates regularly, and consider alternative modes of transport. With the August bank holiday weekend typically one of the busiest times for travel in the UK, the combination of strikes, engineering works, and surging demand is likely to create a perfect storm of disruption. Whether a last-minute settlement can be reached remains to be seen, but for millions of would-be holidaymakers, the prospect of a smooth journey has never looked more remote.
As the weekend approaches, all eyes are on CrossCountry and the RMT to see whether compromise is possible—or if Britain’s travelers will be left stranded at the height of summer.
