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Rail strikes disrupt travel in south-east England

Gareth Fuller/PA Trains lined up at Ramsgate station, KentGareth Fuller/PA
Workers at Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express and SWR have staged a 24-hour walk-out over pay

Strikes by rail workers have hit train services across south-east England.

Workers at Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express and SWR have staged a 24-hour walk-out over pay.

Across Kent, Sussex and Surrey, passengers were urged to seek alternative methods of transport due to the walk-outs.

The industrial action was being carried out by members of the train drivers' union, Aslef, affecting different train companies on different days.

Disruption is expected until 8 December, as well as an overtime ban lasting until 9 December.

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Train companies in other parts of the country are also affected by the walkouts. These include:

  • Tuesday 5 December: C2C and Greater Anglia
  • Wednesday 6 December: Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, SWR and Island Line
  • Thursday 7 December: CrossCountry and GWR
  • Friday 8 December: Northern and Transpennine Express

Many of the affected operators are expected to run no services at all on strike days and travelling on the day before or after strike days might also be affected.

For the latest information, passengers should check National Rail or individual operators' websites.

Mick Whelan, Aslef's general secretary, said on Friday he would resolve the dispute over pay and conditions "tomorrow given the opportunity", but told the BBC the union had only been presented with "a bad faith deal" from operators and had not been in contact since.

The Rail Delivery Group has called the latest action by Aslef "unnecessary and avoidable" and said the union's leadership was "blocking a fair and affordable offer".

Rail Minister Huw Merriman has said the strikes will cause "more misery for passengers and the hospitality sector this festive period".

Both Aslef and the RMT union, which represents other rail workers, have taken repeated industrial action over the past 18 months, but the RMT is not currently staging strikes after its members voted to accept a pay offer.

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