National Express has announced it will be adding 9,000 extra seats on a number of its most popular intercity routes over this coming Bank Holiday weekend (23–25 August) in response to planned industrial action by the RMT union.
The action is set to affect CrossCountry rail services across the UK, and has been called following a ‘breakdown’ in industrial relations.
In order to accommodate increased demands, National Express has added additional capacity on services including those to and from Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Bolton, Cardiff, Hull, London, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Swansea and Wolverhampton.
The operator has stated it has already experienced a 20% increase in passenger numbers for this coming weekend when compared to the same period in 2024.
Ed Rickard, Network Director for National Express, said:People deserve to access reliable and affordable public transport, whether it’s getting to work, enjoying days out or making the most of the summer bank holiday with friends and family. As always, we’ve stepped up a gear to ensure people still have a dependable and comfortable way to travel - and our friendly coach drivers are ready to keep the country moving.
Every time there’s rail disruption, we see an increase in bookings as people turn to us for an affordable and reliable way to travel, and when demand is high, our lowest price tickets do sell out quickly. We encourage anyone looking to travel this weekend to book their coach tickets in advance to guarantee a seat.
CrossCountry has stated that there will be no services on Saturday 23 August, with services on Sunday 24 August likely to subject to cancellations.
The operator has also advised passengers to either travel either side of the Bank Holiday weekend or seek a full refund.
