Updated 9.35
Two days of serious railway disruption have started, as the RMT stages a 24-hour strike today and ASLEF follows tomorrow.
The RMT has written to MPs on both sides of the house in a fresh bid to move the dispute forward.
Nearly all English National Rail operators are affected by the latest walkouts, apart from Merseyrail. However, services on c2c are not expected to change very much, except that 12-car trains will not be able to call at Limehouse.
There is serious disruption on other lines, where services have been sharply reduced. Many local lines have no trains at all. The lack of trains will make travelling a problem for thousands of people trying to reach several major events, including Saturday's FA Cup Final at Wembley, the England v Ireland Test match at Lord's, the Epsom Derby and a Beyoncé concert at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London.
Trains are running as usual on the ScotRail and Transport for Wales networks, but intercity services from England to both those countries are being disrupted. Some Transport for Wales services are also being affected by a shortage of rolling stock, but this is not connected with industrial disputes.
There has already been one ASLEF strike this week, and although no further dates have been announced there has been little sign of progress in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions, which began a year ago.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has written to all MPs, criticising the government for its handling of the dispute.
He accuses the government of deliberately ‘squandering billions of pounds on a futile war against the rail unions’ and he is demanding that MPs write to the Prime Minister ‘to insist the government facilitate an improved offer that "will protect staffing and services and deliver a fairer deal for rail workers’.
He has also issued a new message to RMT members, calling them to continue to ‘stand firm’.
The Rail Delivery Group has responded:‘There have been three pay deals offered which the RMT executive have reneged despite their negotiators in the room agreeing the terms. We’ve said all along we just want railway workers to have their say on the fair and affordable offer of up to a 13 per cent rise over two years, plus guarantees on job security.
‘While their rhetoric continues, this is merely a diversion to the very real financial challenge the industry is facing with taxpayers still shelling out up to an extra £175 million a month to keep the trains running by making up the 20 per cent shortfall in revenue post-Covid. The only way to afford it is by bringing in long overdue, common-sense reforms that would improve services and punctuality for our passengers. In most cases, these simply extend best practice already in place in parts of the network.
‘The RMT leadership must recognise the way our passengers use the railway has changed for good, and work with us to adapt so we can secure the long-term future of an industry. The only thing they have achieved is continuing to take money out of their members pockets, inflicting misery on thousands of people and damaging an industry which is vital to Britain’s economy and their own members’ livelihoods.
‘We urge the RMT leadership to engage seriously with the financial challenges the industry faces, agree between them what they want from the negotiation and come back to the table, so we can resolve this dispute for the sake of everyone who relies on the railway.’