Just 20% of UK trains are due to run this Saturday due to strikes and people are being warned not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
RMT union members in 15 rail companies and Network Rail will strike over wages and working conditions on the eighth day of action.
Trains will start late and finish early, and the disruption is expected to last through Sunday morning.
The rail industry says reforms need to be agreed to allow wage increases, but unions have urged the government to act.
RMT union general secretary Mick Lynch wrote to incoming transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan over the weekend, urging her to “take urgent steps to enable a negotiated settlement that will support the aspirations of our members on jobs, pay and… working conditions”.
On Wednesday, Ms Trevelyan told the BBC she wanted unions and train operators “to come together and find something we can all live with”.
She continued: “Nothing is ever perfect, negotiations are compromises, but what we need is that our customers, our passengers, are at the center of everyone’s decision-making.”
Since taking up her post last month, the transport minister has met with leaders of the RMT and Aslef unions. She also told the BBC that she would also be meeting with the rail companies over the next few weeks.
- When is the next rail strike?
- “Due to the strike, my commute to work took two hours”
For example, the timetable changes on Saturday mean that the last direct train from Newcastle to London departs at 13:53 and the last train from London to Nottingham departs at 16:32.
There will be no direct trains between London and Edinburgh and passengers are being asked to travel via Glasgow. There will also be no direct services between London and Norwich.
Reduced timetables are now being published, meaning journey planners such as National Rail Inquiries have been updated.
It will be the third day of a widespread rail disruption in just over a week. A coordinated strike by several unions took place last Saturday, with only 11% of the usual trains running. Then, on Wednesday, some rail companies stopped running trains at all as drivers from the Aslef union went on picket lines.
What makes the RMT strikes so disruptive is that Network Rail’s signals staff are involved across England, Scotland and Wales, meaning that even where train operators are not directly involved in the dispute, only a fraction of usual services can operate.
Network Rail chief negotiator Tim Shoveller said: “Despite our best efforts to compromise and find a breakthrough in talks, rail unions remain determined to continue and coordinate their strike action.
“As a result, the railway employees are unnecessarily forgoing even more wages, the lives of the passengers are being disrupted again and the recovery of the railways from the pandemic is being further damaged.”
Daniel Mann, Director of Industry Operations at Rail Delivery Group, which speaks for rail companies, said: “These strikes continue to disrupt leisure travellers, shift workers and undermine the many businesses struggling with rising costs and reduced frequency. Further action by the RMT and TSSA leadership will only harm the railways’ recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added: “We want to give our people a raise, but we need union leadership to commit to reforms so we can improve our services and get a fair deal for our people, passengers and taxpayers.”
On Thursday and Friday there are smaller strikes by the TSSA union.
Roadworks mean services on Saturday will be more limited in some areas than previous RMT strike days – for example, the South Western Railway south of Basingstoke will not operate.
RMT members at ScotRail are expected to take part in a strike on Monday. However, the union is meeting on Thursday to consider a new salary offer.
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