Train services are facing disruption again across Britain as thousands of railway workers stage their second strike of the week.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators walked out after talks failed to resolve a bitter row over pay, jobs and conditions.
A reduced train service
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Just one in five trains will run on Thursday, and lines will only be open between 7.30am and 6.30pm, meaning services will start later and finish earlier than usual.
Trains will mostly be restricted to main lines, with around half of the network closed.
RMT members are also scheduled to stage further strikes on Saturday.
Passengers are advised to only travel by rail “if absolutely necessary” and to check the times of the first and last trains in advance.
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Meanwhile, members of the drivers’ union Aslef on Greater Anglia are striking on Thursday in a separate dispute over pay.
The company, which is also affected by the RMT strike, advised passengers to travel only if it is necessary.
The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) announced that its members at Merseyrail have accepted a 7.1% pay offer.
Ahead of the strike, the government announced plans to change the law to enable businesses to supply skilled agency workers to plug staffing gaps during industrial action.
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Ministers noted that, under current trade union laws, employment businesses are restricted from supplying temporary agency workers to cover for strikers, saying it can have a “disproportionate impact”.
The government said the legislation will repeal the “burdensome” legal restrictions, meaning companies affected by strike action will have the freedom to tap into the services of employment businesses which can provide temporary agency staff at short notice.
Network Rail welcomed the move but Labour and unions condemned it as a “recipe for disaster”.
The RMT accused Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of “wrecking” negotiations, with general secretary Mick Lynch saying: “Grant Shapps has wrecked these negotiations by not allowing Network Rail to withdraw their letter threatening redundancy for 2,900 of our members.
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“Until the government unshackle Network Rail and the train operating companies, it is not going to be possible for a negotiated settlement to be agreed.
“We will continue with our industrial campaign until we get a negotiated settlement that delivers job security and a pay rise for our members that deals with the escalating cost-of-living crisis.”
Mr Shapps hit back at the accusation, saying the RMT claim was a “lie”.
A Network Rail spokesman said: “We are disappointed that the RMT have again chosen to walk away from negotiations without agreeing a deal. We remain available for talks – day or night – and will do everything we can to avoid further disruption for our passengers.
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“As a result of this needless and premature strike, rail services will look much like they did on Tuesday – starting later in the morning and finishing much earlier in the evening (around 6.30pm).
“We are asking passengers to please check before you travel, be conscious of when your last available train is departing, and only travel by train if necessary.”
Motorists warned over strikes
The strikes will cause travel misery for millions this week, with motorists warned to expect a surge in traffic as rail passengers switch to the roads.
The AA predicts the worst affected roads are likely to be main motorway arteries, as well as rural and suburban areas.
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Pupils and parents are also being urged to make an alternative plan for getting to school for A-level and GCSE exams, while Glastonbury festival-goers will face disruption as about half of Great Western Railway’s trains due to serve Castle Cary in Somerset, carrying revellers to the festival between Wednesday and Friday, are cancelled.
Follow the latest updates from the strike below.
Latest news on the biggest rail strike in 30 years
Only one in five trains running
Just one in five trains are running on Thursday (23 June) as rail workers stage their second strike of the week.
These services will be mostly restricted to main lines, with around half of the network closed.
Services started later than normal at 7.30am and will shut down early at 6.30pm.
Passengers urged to only travel by rail “if absolutely necessary” and to check the times of the first and last trains in advance.
Person hit by train between London and Reading
Services from London Paddington and Reading have been delayed or cancelled after a person was hit by a train.
Great Western Railway said the lines were blocked and disruption was expected until 5.30pm. Services between Slough and Windsor and Eton Central Station have been suspended due to the incident.
Footfall in central London 27% lower than last Tuesday due to rail strike
Footfall in central London to 1pm today was 27% lower than last Tuesday and in city centres outside of the capital it was down by 11.2%, retail analysts Springboard said.
In contrast, footfall in outer London and market towns was less impacted, down 6.2% and 2% respectively, reflecting increasing numbers of people working from home, it said.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “The impact of train and Tube strikes today on footfall is very clear to see, with a large proportion of people clearly working from home.”
In pictures: empty train stations across the UK as rail strikes continue
Just 20% of normal weekday services running at Manchester Piccadilly
In Manchester a trickle of travellers entered and left a largely deserted Piccadilly train station, along with some confused and bewildered tourists, as RMT pickets manned the entrances.
The station, which handled more than 130,000 visitors last weekend, was running just 20% of normal weekday services.
Trains were running on some main lines, to Liverpool, York and Newcastle, but local routes were stopped.
Last trains will run earlier than normal
Only a fifth of trains are running today due to industrial action and half of all lines are closed.
Services are generally restricted to main lines, but those will only be open between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
Last trains will run much earlier than normal, including London Euston to Glasgow at 1.30pm, London King’s Cross to Edinburgh at 2pm and London Paddington to Cardiff at 4.27pm.
Much of Britain will have no passenger trains for the entire day, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and places such as Chester, Hull, Lincoln and Worcester.