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South Western strikes cause travel misery for thousands of passengers
PASSENGERS commuting on South Western Railways are facing travel misery as today is the first day of strikes. As a result trains are being cancelled or delayed and a bus replacement service is operating in some areas. Commuters into London, as well as racegoers at Royal Ascot, will face travel hell because of the long-running […]
PASSENGERS commuting on South Western Railways are facing travel misery as today is the first day of strikes.
As a result trains are being cancelled or delayed and a bus replacement service is operating in some areas.
Commuters into London, as well as racegoers at Royal Ascot, will face travel hell because of the long-running dispute over guards on trains.
Britain is braced for another deluge this week with heavy downpours and thunderstorms on the way – as rail commuters face disruption thanks to a five-day strike.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) plan to walk out tomorrow over South Western Railway’s failure to satisfy their request for a guard on each train.
Industrial action was suspended in February as a resolution seemed in sight but the union is renewing strikes after accusing the company of dragging its heels in protracted talks over the past few months.
The RMT said SWR company was not prepared to give assurances its new operational model won’t move to driver controlled operation, which sparked fears of a “stitch up”.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “Our members have been left with no choice but to go ahead with strike action tomorrow.”
SWR said it was “very disappointing” the union had decided to call the strike despite dates being set for more talks.
A spokesman added: “Clearly, they have decided to target popular events such as Royal Ascot with this cynical action which is driven by internal RMT politics.”
People attending Royal Ascot, music events at Hampton Court and Metallica at Twickenham on Thursday night have been advised to allow extra time for their travel.
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To compound the misery those events are likely to be hit by torrential downpours.
After a bright day in the South East today, things will take a turn for the worse on Tuesday and Wednesday with thunderstorms forecast to cause disruption and flooding.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for much of the South East, East Anglia and parts of the Midlands, running from 6pm on Tuesday until 9pm on Wednesday.
The North East, Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to see periods of heavy rain and hail today.
Heavy rain could cause fresh hell for residents in rain-hit Lincolnshire tomorrow after more than two months’ worth of rain fell in two days, causing the River Steeping to burst its banks.
Meteorologist Dean Hall said: “We are keeping an eye on it as there could be some issues with surface water and flooding”.
