Are there train strikes today? Which rail services are cancelled on Saturday - and which trains are operating

Saturday 25 June is the third day of planned strike action by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, and services across the country will be affected.

The first set of strikes took place on 21 June and the second occurred on 23 June, causing major travel disruption. Today is the final day of planned strike action.

Rail companies have asked people to avoid travelling by train where possible today, with action expected to last 24 hours.

Roughly 40,000 union members are expected to participate in the strike action, and only a fifth of services will be running as 13 rail operators are affected.

Which services are cancelled on Saturday?

Many railway lines of lower priority will have no services at all.

Many seaside towns across the country will have no services while the strike action is in effect - these include Bournemouth, Blackpool, Margate, Llandudno, and Skegness.

Additionally, services further north than Glasgow and Edinburgh will not run, and most lines in Wales will also be closed.

Services on the main lines will only run between 7.30am to 6.30pm, so all train services outside of these hours are cancelled.

As passenger journeys usually begin at 5am-6am and continue until past midnight, the limited services on main lines will also cause significant disruption.

Which rail services are operating on Saturday?

Services will mostly be restricted to the main lines (roughly half of lines in the UK) during the strike action.

Services on the main lines will only run between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

Avanti West Coast are expected to run every hour to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Preston, from London Euston from 8am until the early afternoon. A limited Avanti service will also run to Glasgow.

Chiltern Railways is expected to run a reduced service to Ayelsbury and Amersham, Cross Country is running one train per hour from Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly, Leicester, Leeds, York, and Reading.

EMR is also running a heavily reduced service with one train per hour between London and Nottingham, Sheffield and Corby.

LNER will be running a limited service between London Kings Cross towards York, Newcastle, and Edinburgh.

How do I check if my train is running?

Before travelling it is strongly recommended that you check that the service you need for travel is still running before leaving for your journey.

The best way to check whether the train you have planned to travel on is still running is by using the National Rail journey planner the morning of your journey.

You can also check directly with the travel provider that you are using.

Will there be delays on Sunday?

It is likely that there will be some disruption on Sunday 26 June, even though strikes will not be taking place.

Some services will start later on Sunday and run on a reduced service.

Chiltern, East Midlands Railway, Elizabeth Line, Great Northern, and Southern have all said that Sunday services will be affected by Saturday’s strike action.

Why are the strikes happening?

This week has seen the biggest UK rail strike in 30 years - and it is taking place over workers concerns for job security, working conditions, and pay.

The RMT is asking for a pay rise of at least 7% which comes as inflation grows to almost 10%.

They have been offered a 3% pay rise, but this comes with a caveat that they must accept new working conditions.

RMT General Secretary, Mick Lynch said: “Now is the time to stand up and fight for every single railway worker in this dispute that we will win.”

“RMT members are leading the way for all workers in this country who are sick and tired of having their pay and conditions slashed by a mixture of big business profits and Government policy.”

Could there be more strikes?

Downing Street has called for RMT to call off the strikes as quickly as possible - but that’s unlikely to happen if talks continue to fail.

Lynch said that he would speak to union members to see if there will be a need for further strike action, and when this would be.

He told BBC Breakfast: “If we don’t get a settlement, it’s extremely likely there will be.”

Additionally, members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union are voting up until early July on whether to take strike action.

If TSSA members vote to strike, CrossCountry, LNER, c2c, Avanti West Coast, Northern, East Midlands Railway and West Midlands Trains will be affected.