Rail passengers are bracing for further travel chaos today as thousands of workers go on strike, bringing services to a standstill across the country, with more to come.
The bitter dispute over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions is worsening, with more strikes in the coming days and a wave of industrial action expected next month on London’s railways and Underground.
Just one in five trains will run today, across around half the network, with some areas without trains throughout the day.
Trains are also expected to be disrupted tomorrow, with services resuming later as employees return to their duties.
Passengers are asked to only travel by train if they have to and, if necessary, to allow extra time. See all closed routes and a schedule of partial services. Follow the last picket lines.
Meanwhile, it emerged that rail union leaders were poised to call off today’s strike after being offered a pay deal late last week, but negotiators from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union they were overruled by the national executive.
It came as Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, moved to prevent repeated walkouts by rail unions under a “one vote, one strike” rule. Read his article for us.
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