Rail strikes: What do passengers in Ipswich and Stevenage think?

Millions of people are facing travel disruption this week as the biggest walkout on the railways in 30 years takes place in a row over pay and conditions. With limited services running, what does this mean for passengers using stations in Ipswich and Stevenage?

Divya Kasturi is travelling from Stevenage to Cambridge but says the disruption is going to affect her planned journeys to London for the rest of the week.

"I'm really bracing myself and thinking of other options. I'm a bit anxious and I'm really panicking about tomorrow and the week ahead," she says.

She says the strike action is "not a good decision because it's affecting so many people".

"I would have really appreciated if they had come up with an alternative solution."

She says wanting fairer pay and conditions is the "same for all of us in our world of work", adding: "I wish I could go on a strike but I can't."

Jill Tuck, who has been visiting her mum in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, is heading home to Bingley in West Yorkshire early to avoid the disruption.

She says she is feeling "annoyed" by the industrial action.

"It's not going to hurt anybody but the public," she says.

"Everyone is having a struggle and it's bad that they are doing this at this time."

Iain Addy is on holiday with his family from Australia and says they have had to change their plans due to the strikes.

They are travelling up to Edinburgh earlier than planned as they "didn't want to be stuck or delayed".

Mr Addy, who is from Linlithgow originally but now lives in Melbourne, says: "It's a bit of a pain, we're from Australia so we're actually on holiday and it's caused a bit of a change to our plans, which is frustrating."

He adds: "There are other ways to achieve what they are after, I don't know what the answer is but it's putting millions of people under a bit of inconvenience and I think there are others ways that we can go about solving problems like this."

Christina Holmes is travelling two days earlier than originally planned from her home town of Stevenage to Portsmouth to see relatives due to the industrial action.

She has had to rebook twice but "luckily I went back online and I got a ticket for today".

"I'm not a regular traveller but when I do, normally it's smooth," she says.

She says three days of strikes seems "too long because it's disrupted the whole week".

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Denise Walton is heading out on a day trip from Ipswich.

She says if her train got changed later ahead of the strikes "it is what it is".

She says she is not planning on travelling anymore this week but supports the industrial action.

"It's going to affect a lot of people in a lot of ways but sometimes you've got to put your head above the parapet and say 'enough is enough' and 'we've got to do what we've got to do'," she says.

"It's a complete pain in the neck really," says Belinda Moore of the strikes.

She says she does not "have a lot of sympathy" for the workers.

"For me it's fine, I can work from home, but for people with medical appointments and so on, it's much more challenging," she adds.

Gary Hughes, at Ipswich rail station, says: "I think it's good, they need wage increases, they need looking after, everybody needs to earn bit more money, they work really hard so I'm all for it."

He says he will end up working from home but "it's not a problem".

"I'm sorry for people who will get caught up in it but they are striking for a reason."

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